


Poison Rose

by FireflySummerwynd



Series: Chance Meetings [3]
Category: Guns N' Roses, Poison (US Band)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:15:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23365306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySummerwynd/pseuds/FireflySummerwynd
Summary: Y'all go give some Love to my buddy, @Starelf555, and her story,Chance of a Lifetime!It's sorta a spin-off, companion piece to the prequels of this story,Chance MeetingandGood Love–and I also Intend to draw off what she writes for some parts of this one, so it should help things make a bit more sense.~FireflyLink to Starelf555's Companion Piece–https://www.wattpad.com/story/208397435-chance-of-a-lifetime
Relationships: Aerin Dall/Duff McKagan, Ashley Purdy/Aidan Ashcroft, Bobby Dall/Aerin Dall, Duff McKagan/Susan Holmes-McKagan
Series: Chance Meetings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680529
Kudos: 2





	1. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all go give some Love to my buddy, @Starelf555, and her story, _Chance of a Lifetime!_ It's sorta a spin-off, companion piece to the prequels of this story, _Chance Meeting_ and _Good Love_ –and I also Intend to draw off what she writes for some parts of this one, so it should help things make a bit more sense.  
> ~Firefly
> 
> Link to Starelf555's Companion Piece–https://www.wattpad.com/story/208397435-chance-of-a-lifetime

_Nashville, Tennessee_

_March, 2024_

So much’d Changed since the Summer of 2020, and Poison bassist Bobby Dall wasn’t the only one whose Life’d Changed drastically. He’d admit that sure, his Life’d experienced far more Changes since then than he’d have ever thought to plan for–and they were nearly all of the best kind–but the Life of his beautiful wife’d prolly gone through far more Change than his own.

After running away from her home State ’cuz it seemed that nothing she tried could help her Life get on the track she wanted, Aerin Crosswhite-Dall found more than she coulda ever imagined possible. Hardly anyone she told–whether ’cuz she was asked or simply ’cuz she wanted to–could believe it’d all started with quite literally running into someone at a Starbucks. Fewer still could believe that that someone’d been none other than former Black Veil Brides bassist, Ashley Purdy, but that was a trivial matter. What mattered to her now was that she’d far more supportive people in her Life than she ever had before, even her stepkids who were her age.

In fact, it was those stepkids–Zach and Zoe–who’d essentially abducted the couple’s twin toddlers and told them to go enjoy their anniversary tonight. Not only was it the anniversary of their handfasting, but that of their legal marriage, as well–which was something they hadn’t originally planned on. The young woman’d vehemently vetoed legally marrying her man, ’cuz she swore up and down that she didn’t wanna be _tied_ down like that, if she could help it.

While it’d taken some fancy footwork on his part, Bobby’d finally managed to talk her into legally marrying him exactly one Year ago. Their wedding was on the first anniversary of their handfasting, which gave them all the more reason to celebrate right now. In fact, that was why he fully Intended to surprise his wife with something she wouldn’t expect any more than she’d expected to conceive. And conceiving their twins, Zep and Zeta, was a big enough surprise for both of them after the recovery he’d gone through from a major surgery in the Autumn of 2021. That was precisely why he’d decided to _go big or go home,_ as it were, with his wedding present–and he knew it was gonna knock his wife’s socks off.

“Ya know–as much as I love Zep and Zeta, it’s nice to get away sometimes,” Aerin said with a giggle.

“I know whatcha mean, my lil Shadow Kitten,” he agreed, chuckling as he gently squeezed her hand. “I’d definitely forgotten how it feelsta have at least _one_ drool-box running around.”

“Yeah, they _are_ drool-boxes, aren’t they?” his wife laughed, Returning the gentle squeeze. “Gods, I’m not sure how we manage to keep ’em hydrated enough for _that_ amount of slobber!”

“Oh, the same thing could be said about _you,_ too–just for different reasons,” Bobby told her, his grin turning mischievous.

_“Bobby!”_ she gasped, her eyes widening.

“What?” the older bassist asked, even as he feigned Innocence. “You’ve admitted that I’ma perv before.”

“Doesn’t mean we’ve to let the entire World know just how much of one!” Aerin told him, gently smacking his arm to drive the reprimand home.

“True–especially when I’d rather let them see _this_ instead,” he told her.

The young woman cocked a brow curiously as he pulled an envelope outta his jacket pocket, which was then handed across the small table to her. He knew how she felt about being spoiled with things that didn’t hold much, if any meaning, which was why he didn’t really do much to spoil her. After growing up pretty much penniless the way he had, just being with him spoiled her enough, so anything extra was just a plus as far as she was concerned.

Motioning for her to open what he’d handed her, Bobby sat back with what he could only call a shit-eating grin on his face and reached for his glass. He knew damn good and well his young wife wasn’t gonna be expecting what was in that envelope, nor his reason for doing it. But that was the whole crux of the matter–he’d wanted to surprise her, and in a way that’d be pretty damn meaningful, if he did say so himself.

Aerin couldn’t help shooting him another look before she started tearing the envelope open, her handfasting-turned-wedding set glinting in the dim lighting of the restaurant. It took her a few momentsta get it open, and she certainly wasn’t expecting something that felt almost like card stock to meet her fingertips. That card stock being way too small to actually be a card was even more surprising, but what was printed on what she pulled out was even more so. She actually had to read what she was looking at three Timesta make sure that she wasn’t misreading it, or simply hallucinating, before she looked back up at him.

“Holy shit, Bobby!” she breathed, finally looking up at him with eyes the size of the empty plates in front of them.

“I should hope that’s a _good_ holy shit,” the older bassist chuckled, although he sounded a bit nervous.

“Hey, ya know how much I loved GN’R’s debut album, even if I don’t love any of their other works,” Aerin laughed. “But I’m surprised there’s actually two tickets here, either way.”

“Well, of course there’s gonna be two tickets,” Bobby told her. “Ya don’t really think I’ma buy a single concert ticket as my wife’s anniversary present, do ya?”

“I should hope I’m not that stupid,” she retorted. “But the only one I know who’d wanna go with me’s Ash.”

He merely shot her a somewhat incredulous look that screamed, _Really, sweetheart?_

“Wait a minute–seriously?” The young woman’s jaw dropped in surprise. “You’d _really_ sit through a GN’R show for me, even though ya don’t really like ’em?”

“You’d be amazed what a man in Love’ll do for his Lady,” he told her. “And if that means sitting through a concert for a band I don’t really like just ’cuz it makes my wife happy–well, the migraine’ll be worth it.”

Aerin couldn’t help practically squealing like a child as she finally jumped up and all but threw herself into his lap. The older bassist laughed as he easily caught her, gladly Returning the hug–not to mention the kiss–she gave him to express her gratitude. Saying he wasn’t all that fond of GN’R was actually a pretty big understatement, but knowing how much she loved at least _Appetite for Destruction_ –well, he could stomach a single Night of it.

One of the things she finally noticed once she went back to her own seat was _where_ they were gonna be going to see the other hair Metal classic. While it might not be at the same venue as where they’d met when Ash took her to go see Mötley, Poison, Def Leppard, and Joan Jett on the 2020 _Stadium Tour,_ it was the same City. Going back to Atlanta, Georgia was gonna bring back quite a few memories for her, which was exactly her husband’s Intent when he’d bought these tickets. Since they’d originally met in Atlanta, what better place to go to in order to reignite the spark between them that hadn’t quite died, but was certainly a bit on the weak side from having twin toddlers?

By the Time they got ready to head back home, both knowing that the rest of their anniversary celebration was best carried out there, Bobby couldn’t help laughing. His wife was certainly a bouncy one, now that he’d given her his anniversary present–which actually wasn’t _just_ the tickets. He didn’t tell her there were backstage passes that went with them, if only so he could have another surprise for her later on down the road. Even still, he knew damn good and well that both of them’d be looking forward to that August Day in the next State to their South till it was finally upon them.

The Morn after what was technically both her first _and_ second anniversary, Aerin was up pretty early, which was a bit unusual for her. Normally, she was the one taking Night shift, if only ’cuz she was a Night Owl and found it hard to sleep unless the Sun was up. It was usually her husband that was up with their twins during the Day, but she found herself awake at the ass-crack of Dawn and simply unable to go back to sleep.

Not wanting to wake her ol’ Bear of a man since they’d been up pretty late and he was thoroughly exhausted by the Time they’d fallen asleep, she’d left Bobby abed when she got up. He hadn’t so much as grunted when she’d gotten up, which meant he was gonna be out for at least another couple hours before so much as his breathing pattern Changed. She considered that a good thing, though, ’cuz it gave her more than enough Time to get her eyes open and focused enough to make breakfast. And considering that she wanted to surprise him with breakfast-in-bed as thanks for his anniversary present, it worked out just fine.

Luckily, being a mother’d taught her to move fast, so she was able to complete her mission before her husband could even wake up, let alone come downstairs. After all, the whole point was that he still be _in_ bed for this, not downstairs and at the dining room table like he’d normally be for breakfast. Thankfully, not even entering the master bedroom with the tray woke him up, the older bassist’s breathing still as even and peaceful as when she’d left him.

Aerin was quiet about settling the tray on the dresser so she could wake him up before his food got cold, not wanting him to spill it when he tried to sit up. Well, that went more so for the OJ and coffee that were also with his food than the actual food, if only ’cuz she didn’t feel like washing bedding if she didn’t have to. Turning her attention to their California-King bed, she gently climbed up on her own side before crawling across it to where he lay. Bobby still didn’t stir in the slightest, one arm flung up over his head while the other lay draped across his belly, which was still almost as flat as thirty Years ago. She paid no mind to the Dark scar still stretching across it right above his crotch as she pulled her hair back and leaned down to kiss him.

_“Hmm_ – _mmmph,”_ he hummed in reaction to her gentle kiss. Feeling even that slight pressure against his mouth no doubt startled him a bit since he obviously hadn’t been expecting it.

_“Buongiorno, l’amore,”_ the young woman said softly, unable to help a giggle.

_“Mmm, buongiorno,”_ Bobby answered, unable to help a yawn any more than she coulda helped that giggle. “Reversing the roles from _Sleeping Beauty,_ huh?”

“Something like that,” she chuckled, straightening so that she wasn’t looming over him anymore. “You’re a Beauty when you’re asleep, but obviously not female.”

“No more than you’re male,” the older bassist chuckled. “But what gives with such a wake-up call?”

Aerin didn’t say a word as she crawled back across the bed and slid down so she could head over to the dresser.

“Breakfast-in-bed, _hmm?”_ He couldn’t help a laugh as he pushed himself into more of a sitting position. “Last I checked, Father’s Day isn’t till June, ya goof.”

“And it’s not,” the young woman laughed, settling the tray over his lap once he was settled. “Can’t a girl wanna do something to say _molto grazie_ for something like your anniversary present?”

Bobby couldn’t help joining her laughter before gently hauling her against his side, careful not to make a mess as he kissed her. He knew full well she was aware of when Father’s Day really was–although, if he were completely honest, she made him feel like _every_ Day was Father’s Day and then some. There wasn’t ever a Day that passed by when his wife and kids–even Zach and Zoe–made him feel anything less than special, and he loved that about his family.

Watching her husband dig into his breakfast, Aerin couldn’t help the grin that split her face at his pleasured groans with every bite he took. They were obviously different from those she was Graced with during the throes of sex, but still bespoke the same amount of pleasure, give or take. Course, if there was one thing she knew about him, it was that he’d fallen in Love with her cooking the first Time he’d eaten her linguine as much as he’d fallen in Love with her. Being able to adapt that cooking to keep him healthy, but still put his taste buds on a roller coaster after his rectal prolapse seemed to make him love her even more. Then again, she knew damn good and well it wasn’t just her cooking that he loved about her, which’d never Change before he died.

Once he was done with his breakfast, the older bassist couldn’t help but wanna just relax with his wife as he let said food settle a bit. It seemed the twins were still asleep, which wouldn’t surprise him in the least since it appeared to still be pretty early, and he wanted to take advantage of it. Both of them knew they’d be kept hopping till they finally got Zep and Zeta back to bed that Night, and even that might not be the End of their Day. It all just depended on whether or not they woke up from nightmares or something, but that didn’t mean it’d to interrupt their _Mommy and Daddy Time_ now.


	2. Two

Just three Days past the four-Year anniversary of when they originally met during the 2020 _Stadium Tour,_ Bobby and Aerin were back in Atlanta. They were about twelve miles Southeast of the Suntrust Park this Time, closer to Downtown Atlanta than they weren’t as compared to four Years ago. What the young woman found amusing–and swore was a bit of an omen–was the name of this particular venue. It seemed to her like a sign that their relationship was meant to be since it was the Bobby Dodd Stadium this Time, and even though he usually preferred otherwise outside his own band, her man’s name was Bobby, too.

Waiting in line outside the venue with all the other ticket holders, the couple did what they could to keep a low profile. The Silver Fox wasn’t in much of a mood to deal with adoring fans today–after all, it was a belated part of their anniversary celebration, and he didn’t want it interrupted. He’d been quoted as saying that he’d give a $400 show to fans who bought a $100 ticket, but the rest of the Time was his, and this was certainly one of those Times.

Luckily for them, the few Poison-slash-GN’R fans closest to them who recognized Bobby were more than glad to lay off once they explained their presence here in as few words as possible. Several other couples were actually in attendance as part of an anniversary or birthday celebration, so they could understand where the couple was coming from fairly well. It certainly helped him relax as much as he could, despite the heat that always came with the Dog-Days of Summer in Georgia and Florida alike. He knew that was already gonna be hard enough, considering he was bound to get dehydrated before, during, and even after the show–and that wouldn’t help his medical issues from a few Years ago.

Eventually, the doors were opened to allow fans into the venue, and the first thing he did besides show his ticket to the security guard working the door was head for a Water fountain. Aerin knew he was trying to stay hydrated since that’d help his medical issues, but she still worried about him. Then again, she supposed she wouldn’t be much of a wife, if she _didn’t_ worry about her husband almost incessantly.

“Ya all right, love?” she asked once he straightened.

“Lil on the warm side, and definitely feeling the dehydration,” Bobby answered with a chuckle. “Not bad enough to warrant going back to the hotel without even seeing the show, though.”

“If you’re sure,” the young woman acquiesced. “Butcha know I still wantcha to speak up, if that Changes.”

“Ya know I will, sweetheart,” he promised, leaning down this Time to give her a kiss. “Trust me, I don’t ever want a recurrence of _that.”_

“Gods, I hope not,” Aerin laughed. “I’m not even the one who actually suffered it, and _I_ don’t want a recurrence happening!”

“Now imagine how I feel since I _am_ the one who suffered it,” the bassist chuckled.

Heading off to get whatever concessions and other merch they Intended to get, she knew her husband still wasn’t exactly thrilled to be here. While he’d gotten to where he could at least tolerate GN’R’s debut album, he didn’t seem to like any of their later works any more than she did, herself. Then again, it was her personal opinion that the band had gone to Hell the first Day after drummer Steven Adler was fired in the Summer of 1990, and it’d only gotten worse with the firing or quitting of each original member from there.

Bobby knew damn good and well his wife was still unaware of the backstage passes in his pocket as they soon headed off to find their seats. Then again, that was exactly what he’d wanted when he’d bought this ticket package for them, so he was glad that she remained clueless. If focusing on the show–or even him and his Health–kept her unaware till he was ready to surprise her, he was all for it.

Their seats were some of the closest to the stage in the elevated area they referred to as _The Pit,_ which was so much more than just a VIP area. With the best, unobstructed views of the stage and a full bar, it was like an upscale lounge right in the middle of a rock concert. Granted, neither of the couple Intended to take advantage of the bar for anything alcoholic, but at least it was also stocked with and served Water, soda, and the like. Other than having to leave their seats for bathroom breaks throughout the show, they didn’t have to go anywhere else in the venue till they were ready to leave, if that was what they wanted. Aerin couldn’t have possibly been more excited, which made her husband laugh as much as Ash once had during their first concert together.

Eventually, the show started a few minutes after the planned start Time of six PM, neither of the couple really into the openers. They were more content to practically act like teenagers, what with their PDA instead of actually paying attention for the moment. No one else seemed to notice, though, if only ’cuz they kept things fairly tame due to being in a public setting–and if they _did,_ they didn’t bother jumping their case for it. By the Time GN’R was slated to take the stage, the young woman was veritably bouncing on her toes like she’d been when Poison and later Mötley’d taken the stage four Years ago.

Watching his wife have the Time of her Life from Ash’s perspective, rather than from a distance on the stage took Bobby’s mind off the cramps he was still having every so often. Even if he didn’t quite make it back to the hotel tonight, he at least wanted to make it through the show and meet-and-greet that came afterward. If he could manage to do that, while it might be pushing himself a lil too far, he’d be happy enough and all too willing to let said wife take him to a hospital. Then again, waiting it out might just see him lucky enough to avoid having to show his face at such an institution again, which was what he was really hoping for. Only having his guts quite literally fall out his ass again could ruin this Night, but even then, he wouldn’t consider it a total loss any more than the young woman would.

“All right, we’re gonna do something special,” Axl announced with a grin on his face about halfway through the show. “Let’s see if we’ve anyone in the crowd ballsy enough to come up here with us for a couple numbers!”

The crowd went into an uproar of cheers and applause at that announcement.

“But, I’ma let _Duff_ be the one who picks!” he said, still grinning as he swept his arm toward the blonde giant of an Irishman.

_“Hmmm,”_ said giant hummed thoughtfully, eyes scanning the crowd in front of him.

The entire crowd fell Silent as they awaited the blonde bassist’s decision.

“Let’s go with her,” Duff said, grinning as he gestured toward The Pit.

Aerin felt like her eyes were gonna pop outta her skull when she realized he was pointing at her when the spotlight roving over the crowd stopped on her.

“Yes, _you,”_ he laughed into his mic, easily able to read her lips when she mouthed _Me?_ “I don’t see anyone else next to a Silver Fox and wearing a blood-red corset.”

The young woman’s face and upper chest turned nearly the same shade of red as the halter corset she was wearing, even as she felt her husband gently prod her lumber.

“Go on, sweetheart,” Bobby laughed just loud enough for her to hear. “I know you’ll knock the crowd’s socks right off their feet.”

She still looked a bit uncertain, but finally agreed by turning to head for the stage when he prodded her again.

“So, what’s the gorgeous lady’s name?” Axl asked once she’d been wired up by their Sound tech and had joined them.

“Let’s just go with Rebel,” Aerin answered. “’Cuz I’m pretty rebellious, but damn near paranoid about what I let be known to the public.”

“Damn, almost sounds like somebody else I know,” the blonde bassist laughed. “How well do ya know _It’s So Easy?”_

“Well enough to put even your backing vocalsta shame,” she snarked with a playful grin.

“I’m taking that as a challenge!” Duff told her.

“Then hit it, ya giant!” the young woman told him.

Still wearing what could only be called a shit-eating grin, he ripped into the opening bass riff of the song in question, his mix-matched band mates following suit at their own cues. Aerin was quick to swipe his mic from its stand when he took a step back, clearly telling her that he wasn’t gonna sing his backing line like he normally would just to test her. That wasn’t any problem for her, though, ’cuz if there was one thing about her–besides her personality, that is–that never failed to surprise those around her, it was her incredible singing voice.

Honestly surprised by how well this young woman managed to keep up–even to the point of singing the entirety of Axl’s lead line with him–the bassist almost found it hard to keep playing. Thankfully, his hands and fingers moved in autopilot like they always did when he wasn’t exactly paying attention to his playing, whether he was onstage or at home.

As they rounded out the song, Bobby was one of the first to cheer his wife on and applaud not just her, but the entire band once it Ended. He wasn’t the least bit surprised by the somewhat calculating look on the ginger-turned-strawberry-blonde’s face as he glanced at her. The slightly older, gray-haired bassist definitely wasn’t surprised by the next challenge he issued based on what he’d just heard. Daring her to see how well she could hold her own while covering his lead line for _Sweet Child O’ Mine_ was certainly a challenge, but one he knew his wife was too proud to refuse. She might be a lil shy about her singing around folks she didn’t know, but when she was issued a challenge, she always gave it her all.

Not about to let the lead vocalist get the best of her, she shot him a look that clearly said _Challenge accepted, asshat_ as she cleared her throat. Getting herself into a certain groove wasn’t exactly hard, especially with her husband sitting in the crowd where she could still see him. In fact, all she’d to do was pretend this was like any other Time he came home from running errands or the restaurant he’d opened up downtown after moving to Nashville and caught her singing in the kitchen. Aerin simply pictured that particular room of her home as she listened for her cue, eyes closed and Axl’s mic at the ready now that Duff’s was back on its stand.

_“She’s got a smile it seemsta me reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as the bright blue Sky,”_ she sang, easily mimicking the vocalist’s Sound from the studio version of _Appetite for Destruction_ –which sounded far better than his live performancesta her. _“Now and then when I see her face, she takes me away to that special place, and if I’d stare too long, I’d prob’ly break down and cry.”_

Bobby couldn’t help a chuckle that went unheard by the band as he watched his wife get into that groove he recognized all too well. Even as he looked around him, though, he could tell that he wasn’t the only one mesmerized by her voice and the way she carried herself up there on that stage. The crowd seemed pretty impressed with how well she was doing, but it was pretty obvious that said band was also impressed. In fact, he’d daresay that Duff was either on his way to hiding a boner behind his bass, or he was already at that point. Course, the young woman was more than a bit of a Siren–it wouldn’t be the first Time she’d turned a guy on just by singing, and doubtless this wouldn’t be the last, either.

Once she’d shamed Axl into never issuing such a challenge to another fan like that–or picking the fan he challenged a lil more wisely, at least–she settled his mic back into its stand. Even though it’d been upwards of two Years since she’d smoked, she could feel her voice wanting to shit out on her for at least a short while, and she knew it wasn’t a good idea to keep singing for a few minutes.

It seemed that the front man wasn’t satisfied with that, which just made her decide on getting even instead of getting mad. Everyone who knew her knew she didn’t like him, whether his supposedly being a wife-beater was true or not, and she could get under the skin of just about anybody when she wanted to. All it took was studying him for mere seconds, and she was able to pick out his weak point–which was knowing damn good and well he didn’t sound as good live as he did on their obviously-doctored records.

“What–ya a glutton for punishment and want me to _keep_ digging your vocal grave?” she laughed, having risen on tip-toe to reach Duff’s mic this Time. Even four-inch heels weren’t of much help to her, considering that he was nearly a foot taller than her to start with.

“I–ya–” Axl started, clearly floundering for words before apparently deciding to take a jab of his own. “Guess ya don’t wanna show me up, after all.”

“Nah, it ain’t that I don’t wanna–I just prefer having the ability to scream later, if that’s what my man wantsta make me do,” the young woman snarked back with a devious grin.

The entire crowd howled with laughter, the band aside from their front man doubling over and/or hitting their knees.

“Who–the old guy that was next to ya when Duff pickedja?” he asked. The smirk on his face clearly said he thought he was gonna get a good one in on her.

“You’re not as young anymore yourself, Rose,” Aerin told him. “It might behoove ya to remember that the next Time ya decide to rib a woman for having a few daddy issues.”

Effectively having a mic-drop moment by deciding to leave it at that, she headed to the edge of the stage so a security guard could help her down, then back up into The Pit as his jaw dropped. There was obviously no hiding Bobby’s age, what with his gray hair–not that either of them wanted to–but that didn’t mean she liked when people took stabs at it. She especially didn’t like it when people took a stab at her husband’s age in an attempt to mock their relationship, which always pissed her off–even when she didn’t show it.

The Silver Fox gladly welcomed his wife back into his arms once she’d gotten back to their seats, still ignoring those few cramps he’d been getting. He was more concerned with getting said wife Calmed down since he could tell she was already simmering, which meant she could go to boiling with a quickness. If she’d to face Axl again and he pushed anymore of her buttons, that was an absolute guarantee at this point, and he knew it.

After the show’d been concluded and the band headed off to get cleaned up a bit for the meet-and-greet, those with VIP passes were taken backstage to wait. There was no denying that her husband wasn’t feeling good at this point, and Aerin was more than a lil concerned when his right hand seemed to flutter in front of his belly for a few moments. He tried to reassure her that he was fine as he finally revealed their backstage passes, but she knew him better than he seemed to think. The only way she’d agree to actually making use of those passes was if he agreed to go to the hospital after they left the venue, should he still be feeling pretty bad by that point.

More than agreeable so she’d get the full experience, Bobby told her he’d actually been thinking that might need to happen, anywhore. He just hadn’t wanted to say anything, ’cuz unless he started feeling like he was being gutted with a broadsword, he hadn’t wanted to ruin their Night out. The young woman could understand that well enough, but that didn’t mean she’d to like seeing her husband obviously in pain. Shaking her head with a sigh, she moved to take her place in line, keeping herself plastered against said husband’s side for the moment as they waited as patiently as they could.


	3. Three

As he prepared to head out for the meet-and-greet that was actually one of very few on this particular tour, Duff couldn’t get the young woman–Rebel, she’d called herself–outta his head. Trying to get her voice outta his head proved to be an even more futile effort, ’cuz it was almost like that Mythical Siren Song he’d always heard about. If he wasn’t completely Entranced by that sweet Sound, not to mention the Emotion that’d been in it while she was singing, he was a needle-dicked midget.

Walking out to the area that’d been set up for the meet-and-greet, part of him hoped that he got to see her again before bus call was made. He might have three Days till he and his band played in Tampa, Florida, but that didn’t mean he wanted to leave without getting a true goodbye. If he’d known this was practically a replay of four Years ago, just with a different man, he prolly woulda burst into incredulous laughter.

Somewhere toward the front of the VIP line that’d since turned into more of a crowd, Bobby and Aerin were waiting as patiently as they could. The bassist was still cramping, and those cramps only seemed to be getting worse as the Night wore on, which left his wife beyond worried about him. Naturally, being so worried about her husband caused the young woman’s good Time to slowly diminish to the point that she was getting crabby from just wanting the band to c’mon out. It wouldn’t be much longer before she was either rushing said husband to the hospital herself, or calling an ambulance for him. Such a decision’d be based on how much pain he was in, and at the moment, it wasn’t looking good for her doing anything but calling an ambulance.

“Well, hey there. I was hoping I’d get to see ya again before the Night was over.”

Turning slightly, she saw that none other than Duff McKagan’d walked over to them, much to the delight of the swooning fans surrounding them.

“Hey there, man,” Bobby managed to chuckle, which finally allowed him to get a good look at him.

“I’ll be damned, man–long Time, no see!” the slightly younger bassist laughed, abruptly sobering when he winced. “Ya okay, man?”

“If you’ll excuse me, there’s something I need to take care of.” He shot a look at the young woman at his side, the same one who’d introduced herself as Rebel.

“Keep your phone on ya, love,” she told him, apparently figuring out what he was trying to tell her without actually saying anything.

“Ya know I will,” the slightly older bassist promised her as he leaned down for a quick kiss.

“Well, now I know why ya didn’t hesitate to take a crack at Axl’s age onstage,” Duff said after he’d excused himself.

“Yeah, kinda hard to resist with anyone else who’s roughly the same age as my husband,” the young woman laughed.

“Wait, you’re actually married?” He seemed a bit surprised.

“In a couple different ways,” Aerin answered, holding up her left hand. “In the legal sense like you’re used to, as well as in a Spiritual sense.”

“That almost sounds Mormon or something,” the younger bassist chuckled, impressed by the wedding set he saw. “Gotta say, he’s some damned impeccable taste, if this is anything to go by.”

“Not quite Mormon, and yeah, he does,” she agreed. “Course, he picked this set ’cuz he knew that while I might still answer yes, I’d just as soon throw anything with White Diamonds in it at his head as wear it.”

Duff couldn’t help a laugh at that statement. “I’d definitely say the name Rebel suits ya well, then.”

“Hey, I admitted that I’ma rebellious thing onstage–I just didn’t admit to being a bitch on top of it, even though I can definitely be such,” the young woman told him with a grin.

He made no bones about wanting to talk to her more in-depth, but wanting to make his rounds amongst the rest of the gathered crowd first. Aerin was more than agreeable to that, telling him that chances were, she’d be talking to Slash as opposed to any of the other band members. If she wasn’t anywhere in sight, he might wanna check the area around the closest restrooms, ’cuz either she’d have made a bathroom run of her own or she was checking on her husband.

Nodding, the younger bassist kept his word by paying some attention to other fans who’d wanted to meet him specifically, which delighted them. He made sure to keep Rebel in his sight at all Times, if only so he’d see her walk away, if she made that bathroom run she’d mentioned. At least then, he wouldn’t be searching for a woman who’d already left the venue without him realizing it, if she walked off somewhere.

As she was talking to Slash and the keyboardist brought in back in the early-nineties, the young woman felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. Thankfully, she’d been standing still–not to mention checking it frequently when she _was_ moving around–or she mighta missed the text that came in. Clearly still listening to the pair before her, judging by her appropriate responses, she quickly unlocked her phone so she could view whatever text’d just come through. She got the feeling that what she was about to read wasn’t gonna be good, considering how the Eve’d progressed, and she wasn’t disappointed in that assumption.

“Guys, you’ll have to excuse me,” she said, locking her phone as she looked back up at them. “I hate to cut this short, but I gotta go.”

“Everything all right?” Slash asked, his tone concerned. She’d no doubt the expression under his mane of black curls matched his tone.

“Unfortunately, I need to get to my husband so we can get outta here,” the young woman answered.

“We’ll come with ya, just in case ya need anything,” the aforementioned keyboardist, Dizzy, told her.

“Y’all don’t have to do that,” Aerin chuckled, trying to cut down on the number of people who found out about his potential medical crisis.

“None of us do, but that doesn’t mean we won’t.”

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Duff walking up to join them.

“Now, I dunno where you’re running off to so soon since you’ve stayed this long, but…” He looked almost sheepish, much like a lil boy caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

“Bobby needs me–and no, I _don’t_ mean that in a dirty way,” the young woman told him.

“Normally, I’d crack a joke about that particular phrasing, but judging by your expression and his wincing earlier, I know you’re being serious,” he told her. “C’mon, and we’ll go find him.”

“Be careful then, man,” Slash warned him.

“Yeah, ’cuz ya know there’s some crazies out there,” Dizzy agreed.

“I’ll be sure to,” the slightly younger bassist assured them, gently pressing a hand between her shoulder blades.

Aerin still swore that he didn’t have to come with her, but there was clearly no deterring him as she let him escort her to the closest VIP restrooms. Course, his coming with her came in handy when they arrived and she realized her husband had locked himself in one of the few solitary restrooms. Judging by his text, he wasn’t gonna be able to open the door for her on his own, but there was no way in hell they were getting this thing open without a key or a battering ram. It wasn’t nearly as weak as the door Richie’d kicked down for her in Ash’s house a couple Years ago, by any means.

Luckily, Duff was able to shoot off a text to one of the roadies so they could acquire a key a lot quicker than if she’d gone searching for a guard on her own. Considering they’d still have to wait a few minutes for said guard and roadie to show up, she made a decision she hadn’t wanted to. Taking a deep breath, the young woman motioned for him to lean close enough to hear without broadcasting to the entire venue.

“I hope you’ve a cast Iron stomach, ’cuz you’re gonna need it,” she told him.

“Whaddaya mean?” the slightly younger bassist asked, sounding confused.

“If this is even the slightest recurrence of a couple Years ago, what we’re gonna see when this door gets opened ain’t gonna be pretty,” Aerin answered on a sigh.

He straightened enough to cock a brow at her where she’d actually see.

“I’m sure Bobby’s interview where he quit Poison and admitted to recovering from a pretty major abdominal surgery at the Time wasn’t missed by ya,” the young woman said.

“Oh, I saw it–shocked me and the rest of the guys prolly as much as the rest of the World to find out he was quitting his band after all these Years,” Duff said.

“Well, that surgery–it was basically to pull his guts back up where they belonged and suture ’em into place instead of letting ’em hang outta his ass,” she explained, trying to keep her voice down as much as possible.

“Holy shit–no pun Intended, of course,” the younger bassist breathed, those hazel eyes widening.

“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Aerin dead-panned. “Imagine my shock for all this to happen the Day after my birthday.”

He couldn’t help a wince at the mere Thought.

“We were told when he first came outta surgery back then that a recurrence wasn’t outside the Realm of Possibility,” the young woman continued. “Not very likely, if he took care of himself properly and followed his doctor’s orders, but it still might happen.”

“And you’re thinking it’s happening now,” Duff said, Enlightenment starting to Dawn on him.

“It’s very possible,” she answered, nodding. “Dehydration can cause constipation, which was the most likely reason he’d it happen to him in the first place, considering all the coffee he used to drink.”

“Even if it’s _not_ an actual recurrence, this is nothing to play around with,” the younger bassist said. Looking up over her head, he apparently saw who they were waiting on and flagged them over. “We need this door unlocked yesterday. And one of ya go get the medic that was hired for tonight–this guy might need them more than any of us GN’R boys could Dream of anymore.”

The security guard nodded as he fished out the correct key for this particular door, the roadie already running off to the backstage area again. Aerin couldn’t help heaving at least a soft sigh of relief since this answered her unasked question about how the hell she was gonna call for help without this spreading around too much. She’d be able to keep her voice down fairly well as she explained the goings-on to the EMTs no doubt to be brought back with the roadie upon his Return.

Once the guard had unlocked the restroom door, the young woman was quick to open it and head into the bathroom. She was almost instantly hit with a sense of _déjà vu_ as she took in what she saw, the one difference being that Bobby’d managed to get at least his boxers back up this Time. Even still, he was doubled over with his head between his knees, arms crossed over his belly as he grabbed his sides with his hands.

Duff couldn’t help a wince as she dropped down beside her husband, the guard–well, guarding against anyone who dared try to look in and find out what was going on. He was sure it’d be bad enough once the older bassist was able to look up and realize that more than just his wife was witnessing his current misery. And as if that wasn’t enough, no doubt he’d be mortified for anyone else to see him in just his boxers, his jeans around his ankles as if he’d been trying to take a shit. Things were already bad enough as it was, and they didn’t need to be made worse by curious passersby looking in and being nosy.

It wasn’t long before the roadie Returned with the pair of EMTs that’d been hired to work the show, who were surprised it wasn’t any of the band in need of their services. The younger bassist was quick to wave them in, the roadie moving to help the guard keep any possible witnesses at bay. Just as he’d suspected, his musical counterpart’s face turned a deeper shade of red than it already was once they managed to get him to look up. Realizing more than just his wife was gathered was no doubt absolutely humiliating for him, but there was nothing that could be done about that at this point.

“Can ya tell me your name, sir?” the taller EMT asked as he moved to get a blood pressure cuff on his arm.

“Rob,” he answered, which made Duff cock a brow.

“That’s what he prefers outside the band,” Aerin giggled, taking notice of that look. “He only goes by Bobby when it deals with the band since that’s been his stage name for so long.”

“Well, Rob or Bobby–it doesn’t really matter right now,” Bobby groaned.

“So, what’s going on?” the shorter EMT asked.

“Since I’ve already explained it to the blonde, just so he’d know what he was about to walk into by insisting on coming with me,” the young woman started. Taking a deep breath, she ran through what’d happened a couple Years ago and what they’d been told almost immediately afterward.

“Does it feel like that’s actually recurred, sir?” The taller EMT was quick to get his vitals as he was listening.

“Not quite in the sense of what I felt that Day,” the older bassist answered, shaking his head. “I just know my stomach’s killing me now.”

“Whaddaya mean, now?” the shorter EMT asked as they moved to help him up.

“I was cramping a lil earlier this afternoon, but I was hoping getting rehydrated would help me,” Bobby answered. “Apparently, I was wrong, but it’s not as bad as it was that Morn a couple Years ago.”

Once they’d gotten him on his feet, Aerin was quick to get his jeans pulled back up so she could fasten his fly and belt for him. The younger bassist quite politely averted his gaze till she’d gotten him decent again, then helped her back up to her own feet as her husband was moved to the stretcher that’d been brought in. He might be a wild child in a lotta ways like the older bassist often was, but he’d still been raised to be a gentleman just the same.

With the Silver Fox loaded up and ready for transport, the young woman made sure she’d everything of theirs so she could head out to the ambulance with him. Being his wife, she was also his next-of-kin, which meant she was pretty much required to go with him–not that she’d have made any other choice. However, she was as surprised as her husband when the younger bassist said he’d tag along with them, too.

The ride to Select Specialty Hospital–which was not only one of the closest, but prolly the best choice for his particular problem–was spent in almost total Silence. Bobby obviously wasn’t feeling up to talking more than he absolutely had to, and his wife was trying to keep herself together so she wouldn’t start freakin’ out and be absolutely useless. Sitting up front with the taller EMT while his shorter partner kept an eye on their patient left Duff to keep quiet for the moment, too, but that was fine by him. He’d really only offered to come with them to be Emotional support for the young woman so she wouldn’t be alone till she’d managed to get in touch with another of their family members.

At the ER, said young woman stayed by her husband’s side, only moving enough for the staff to give him a thorough exam when necessary. She wasn’t surprised when he was ultimately diagnosed with an intestinal blockage, considering that was one of the things they’d been told could happen to him after that rectal prolapse. Luckily for both of them–but especially him–it wasn’t quite as bad of a blockage as it coulda been, and while it _would_ require surgery, it wasn’t as major a surgery this Time around. In fact, they could do it with endoscopic instruments like they would with gall stone removal, which’d cut down on his recovery Time after the fact.

* * *

“So, how’dja even meet Bobby? I’ve been curious about that ever since I saw ya again at the meet-and-greet and realized _who_ your ol’ man _was.”_

Looking up from finally getting in touch with Aidan so she and Ash could head over to her house and get the kids up, Aerin saw the younger bassist Returning from wherever he’d headed off to for coffee. She was still surprised that he’d decided to stick around Atlanta till at least the next Morn, even though he obviously didn’t have to. After all, she couldn’t think of a more boring way to spend one of his few Days off, considering how wild and crazy she knew tour could get from her husband’s and surrogate brother’s stories.

“It was actually almost identical to how _we_ met tonight,” she chuckled, gesturing between them with one hand as she took the cup he held out to her.

“Really, now?” Duff asked curiously as he settled beside her and sipped his own. “And sorry if it’s not quite right–I didn’t know how ya liked it.”

“Call me crazy, but a full two tablespoons of sugar and half-and-half,” the young woman told him, grinning. “And I say to call me crazy since I’m well aware that diabetes runs in my family, so I’m already predisposed to it, myself.”

“Yeah, that _is_ kinda crazy,” he agreed. “But trust me when I say I’ve seen, heard, and done crazier.”

“Like blowing up your own pancreas with all the booze?” Aerin laughed.

“Yeah, that like,” the younger bassist chuckled. “Now, getting back on track–how on Earth could meeting Bobby’ve been almost identical to tonight?”

“Well, I’ma omit or Change a few namesta retain privacy here,” she said, shooting him a slightly uncertain look.

Duff nodded as he took another sip of his coffee.

“It started with a literal chance meeting,” the young woman started as she recalled that Fateful Day. “I quite literally ran into one of my idols, whom I’ma call Addison–coffee all over both of us, me Wishing I’d another cup to dump over his head, the whole nine.”

“Sounds like an interesting way to meet someone,” he chuckled.

“Well, let’s just say that Addison turned out to be a more tender-hearted guy than I’m sure he gets credit for, even now,” Aerin laughed. “Before it was all said and done, I wound up moving in with him for what was gonna be a week, if it turned out that we didn’t get along.”

“And that week turned into far more, I’m assuming?” the younger bassist asked. He looked and sounded genuinely curious.

“Oh, boy, did it ever,” she answered with a laugh. “Before I knew it, he was essentially my sugar daddy–which didn’t go unpaid since I wound up repaying him by doing his yard work, which I still do, and any other household chores when he couldn’t.”

“Soundsta me like ya were trying to avoid feeling like a charity case–which isn’t necessarily a bad thing by any means,” Duff chuckled.

Nodding, the young woman admitted that he was right about that, ’cuz she’d been raised to work for what she got put in her hands. Sure, she might be more of the lazy type than she wasn’t and not like much physical activity, and she could sometimes be the type to just want a hand-out, but more often than not, she couldn’t stand feeling like someone’s charity case. In cases like that, she’d bust her ass ten waysta Sun’s Day–even when it caused her to eat Aleve like candy–in Return for anything done for her.

To that End, Aerin couldn’t help laughing as she recalled how Ash’d gone behind her back to buy their ticketsta the _Stadium Tour_. In fact, she admitted that her husband had done the exact same thing in going behind her back to get the tickets for tonight’s show, ’cuz he’d known she’d argue the point till the Sun ceased to rise on the grounds of not wanting to be spoiled. She’d made no bones about occasional gift-giving being one thing, but totally spoiling her for no reason being something completely different.

It was at that point that she admitted to having met Bobby right here in Atlanta, and after her friend finally revealed having backstage passesta that particular show. The younger bassist currently present couldn’t help a laugh when she told him about their backstage conversation and how it’d been in Cherokee, which’d left her totally clueless. He supposed there were certainly weirder waysta meet one’s Future spouse, and blind dates–like the one he’d gone on when he met his own wife–could certainly be considered weird in some cases. Maybe meeting one’s Future spouse backstage at a concert was actually a pretty tame way to meet, when he thought about it like that.

“But I really made him use the head on his shoulders that Night, too,” she told him as they both raised their coffee cups again.

“How’dja manage to do that?” Duff asked curiously after swallowing the sip he’d taken.

“’Cuz it was pretty obvious we both wanted more than just a lil flirting,” the young woman answered. “But I stuck to my guns–no pun Intended–when it came to _not_ sleeping with just anyone, no matter how attracted to them I was.”

“Really?” He looked surprised to hear that. “How’dja manage to do that?”

“I asked him a simple question that’d two equally simple, but very different answers,” Aerin explained.

The younger bassist couldn’t help cocking a brow curiously.

“I asked him how much of what he’d said immediately before that was his big head talking, rather than the lil one, ’cuz my rule of thumb’d always been that if ya can’t be my friend and respect me in the Morn, ya don’t deserve me tonight,” she chuckled.

“A woman of morals, much like my own wife,” Duff laughed. “She told me pretty much the same thing after the blind date we met on back in the nineties.”

“What can I say? I’ma wild child that can keep up with the best of ’em–and by that, I mean my husband and Addison, who’s more like a surrogate brother–but that doesn’t mean I’ma total heathen,” the young woman told him.

“Your necklace’d say otherwiseta the ignorant,” he pointed out, gesturing to the necklace he’d seen around her throat ever since she joined him and his band onstage.

“I’m assuming ya know what it is–and therefore, what it means?” Aerin cocked a brow almost challengingly.

“Well, not exactly,” the younger bassist admitted. “I know it’s often associated with Witchcraft and Satanism alike, but not much beyond that.”

“I’ll explain it in-depth some other Time, if we manage to stay in touch–but to me, it’s as much a protective symbol as your cross is to you,” she told him, gesturing to his own necklace.

Duff continued to listen as she went on to say that Bobby’d decided he hadn’t gotten enough Time with her the Night they’d met and decided to pay her a surprise visit after his tour’d Ended. That sounded a lot like how he felt right now, considering how he hadn’t wanted her to leave tonight’s venue without getting to say goodbye to her first. He wouldn’t necessarily say he wanted her for himself like the Silver Fox had–he’d been married for upwards of twenty Years, after all, and not once’d his eye truly roved elsewhere in that Time.

The young woman laughed as she admitted that–were the circumstances a bit different–she wouldn’t deny that he’d be her second pick in who she wound up with. Not many guys caught her eye, let alone more than that, and they certainly didn’t manage to get all of her for long before they fucked up royally. Her husband was a rarity amongst men, if only ’cuz he’d tied a figurative noose around her neck as much as he’d thrown her off a Cliff to go fly. Then again, one could say she’d done the same with him, so it all worked and otherwise Balanced out when it was all said and done.

By the Time she’d shared how she’d even gone so far as to keep who she’d been dating from her best friend–who was now in a relationship with Addison–to preserve Bobby’s privacy, it was getting pretty late. Poor Aerin was fighting not to worry overmuch since they hadn’t heard anything yet, choosing to stick to the old adage of no news being good news, but it certainly wasn’t easy.

“Family and friends of Robert Kuykendall?”

Turning from her conversation with the younger bassist, she saw a nurse with her mask pulled down to hang under her chin. “That’d be us,” she called out softly.

“I’m guessing you’re his daughter?” the woman asked as she joined them.

“His wife, actually,” she laughed, holding up her hand. “We get that a lot, though, considering the pretty obvious age difference.”

“Odd as I might think that, I’m glad to see he’s someone who loves him so much.” The nurse couldn’t help a laugh of her own, not even noticing her read her badge, which said _Lita Ricketts, RN_.

“We’re far from conventional–case in point, his career,” Aerin chuckled. “Besides, we’re both of the mind that age’s just a number assigned by humanity. Other than that, we’re just two idiotic goofballs in Love who’ve our serious sides when the Time calls for it.”

“Which’s a good thing, considering why you’re even here,” Lita said. “If he hadn’t gotten that blockage removed when he did, it woulda been a lot worse.”

The young woman couldn’t help looking worried, unconsciously grabbing the hand of a Silent Duff as she waited for her to continue.

“If he’d waited too much longer, he’d have run the risk of his large intestine rupturing,” she explained. “That was the cause of his abdominal pain–the pressure of that blockage straining the walls of his intestine.”

The younger bassist couldn’t help a sympathetic wince.

“If it hadn’t ruptured, he woulda most definitely had a recurrence of his rectal prolapse from _trying_ to get the blockage to pass on its own,” the nurse continued.

“Ouch sounds like the understatement of the Century,” Duff finally spoke up, Returning the squeeze currently being given to his hand.

Nodding, she said that she hadn’t met a patient suffering from an intestinal blockage that wasn’t in quite a bit of pain yet, and she’d been in this industry for nearly twenty Years. Granted, the pain level varied from one patient to another, and even one _case_ to another, but it still wasn’t a pleasant thing to experience. They were just lucky he’d already decided to seek help, even if he delayed it a lil longer than she or the surgeon woulda liked to see, without anyone else having to convince him to.

At the moment, Bobby was doing just fine after a successful blockage removal and being packaged up to be taken to a recovery room. He’d be allowed two visitors at a Time till Morn, which meant that his wife was more than free to spend the Night with him. They’d decide after that exactly how many visitors, depending on whether Zach and Zoe showed up with their lil brother and sister or not.

The younger bassist said he’d call his manager and let him know that he’d catch his own flight the sometime the next Day so she wouldn’t have to be alone. Aerin was more than a bit surprised by that, as evidenced by the look on her face, but he gave her a look of his own that screamed for her not to argue with him. He didn’t have to be in Tampa for another two and a-half Days at the latest, so there was no reason to make her sit here alone when he’d more than enough Time to stay. Once one of her stepkids or even this Addison she’d mentioned showed up, he’d feel better about catching up with his band since he’d know she wouldn’t be worrying herself senseless with no one to Comfort and distract her.

Left with pretty much no way to argue, the young woman agreed to him staying, as long as he was sure about it and the medical staff didn’t try to run him off ’cuz he wasn’t family. The nurse was quick to assure them that it was his choice whether to stay or go since he’d be the second visitor for now, which brought them up to the limit. If any when any other friends and/or family arrived, he’d have to switch out with one of them or leave, but they’d worry about that when the Time came. For now, there was no reason to worry about such a thing since the patient’s wife didn’t seem to have a problem with the man at her side.

“Then let’s get to his room, if we’re able to go see him now,” Aerin said. “I worry about Bobby prolly more than I worry about our twins or even myself.”

“’Cuz he’s so much older, right?” the nurse chuckled.

“No, not at all,” she answered with a chuckle of her own. “While he mighta gone through more coffee in a Day than I ever have, Bobby generally took pretty good care of himself before we met. I worry about him ’cuz I knew something like this might still happen, and with a lil warning–at least, for me–as the original prolapse.”

“I’m sure his advanced age’s still at the back of your mind, if nowhere else,” Lita mused, leading the pair off to her patient’s recovery room.

“Well, I know I’ll never get as much Time with him as I’d like–not in this Lifetime, anywhore,” the young woman admitted. “But I try not to dwell on the negative now since I did enough of that my entire Life before I met my husband.”

“I can understand that,” she agreed with a nod. “Better to enjoy whatever Time ya get with him than to be living on the assumption that he’ll be gone tomorrow, even if it could technically happen that way.”

Pausing outside a door that hadn’t had its placard labeled yet, the nurse gave a quick knock before opening it just enough to be heard through the crack. All three heard someone bid her to enter, and she bade the other pair to wait long enough for her to make sure Bobby’d been settled to get some rest. Duff gently rubbed the back of the young woman at his side as they waited, their wait short before they were bid to c’mon in.

Much like after his surgery a few Years ago, the older bassist was propped up by the raised back of his bed and a couple pillows behind him. He wasn’t quite as outta it as he’d been back then, if only ’cuz they hadn’t have to give him nearly as much anesthesia this Time around. In fact, he raised his head with a yawn as soon as he heard his younger counterpart’s boots tapping on the tile flooring softly, which made him reach for his glasses that’d been put on the mobile table next to him.

Aerin couldn’t help a grin as she settled in the chair next to his bed, glad to see him awake and far more lucid than he’d been immediately after his previous surgery. More than anything else, though, she was just glad to know that this one’d been such a Success, even if they’d hoped there’d never be a need for it. The fact that this surgery hadn’t been quite as invasive was also a good thing, considering that it shouldn’t take him a month to recover enough to have sex again. Such an activity was definitely banned for the first couple weeks, but they’d determine how much longer to ban it after a follow-up appointment with his doctor back in Nashville since it might not be required any longer than that.

He even seemed glad to see Duff once the younger bassist settled on the other side of his bed, if the tired smile he Graced him with was anything to judge by. Adding to that assumption–which proved them both right–was when he said that he was glad to know his wife hadn’t been alone during her wait. The company she’d kept during that Time mighta been a lil different, but at least she’d someone to talk to and give her a distraction while she waited. Said younger bassist Returned the smile, not surprised he started to doze off before he could really respond, which made him and Aerin decide to get some sleep of their own.


	4. Four

The Morn after winding up in the hospital again for yet another surgery, Bobby woke to a cramp about as mild as the cramps he’d suffered the Day previous’d started out. He managed not to grunt or groan in pain as he cracked open his eyes, Silently praying to whatever Deities’d listen that he wasn’t already having a recurrence of the intestinal blockage he’d been diagnosed with. Course, he still wasn’t able to avoid waking his wife, who seemed to be more in tune with him and anything he did than most wives were with their husbands. In fact, he hadn’t even managed to squirm into a comfier position before her eyes were flying open and locking onto him.

Glad to see her husband awake, Aerin was quick to make sure they didn’t wake the other man sleeping on the other side of his bed. Duff’d stayed up late with her, despite having given his all at the GN’R show the Night previous on top of his band’s meet-and-greet after that. He hadn’t been obligated to do anything beyond said meet-and-greet, but he’d still done it, and it was greatly appreciated by the other couple.

Noting the look on the older bassist’s face, she was quick to reach over and hit the _Call_ button on his bed rail, already having an idea of what was wrong. She wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that he’d to make a bathroom trip by now, and that couldn’t possibly feel good with even a small, stitched hole in his large intestine. As it turned out, she was right in that assumption–he just hadn’t wanted to admit it aloud when Duff coulda woken at any moment, or already been awake.

Being helped up and outta bed by the pair of nurses that came in put an End to the younger bassist getting some rest pretty quick. He started with the first pained groan that met his ears, but was almost even quicker in surprising them yet again with his Selflessness. Even Aerin couldn’t help looking surprised when he moved to help her husband to his feet, considering that he was taller and stronger than the women who’d answered her page. Still, they were all thankful that he’d jumped in to help with that part and letting him use him as a human crutch, even though one of the nurses still moved with them to make sure Bobby didn’t fall or otherwise hurt himself by accident.

“Just hit the _Call_ button on the wall once you’re done and ready to go back to bed,” the nurse told him once he was settled on the toilet.

“Or if I need help before then ’cuz something goes wrong,” he chuckled, gently shooing them off for privacy’s sake.

“That, too, but let’s hope that’s _not_ the case,” she laughed.

“Thanks again, Duff,” his wife said once they’d left him in Peace. “Ya didn’t have to even come with us, let alone everything you’ve done since.”

“How many Times do I’ve to tell ya that I don’t mind?” Duff asked with a chuckle. “I won’t say Bobby’s my best friend by any means, but I still consider him a friend.”

“I’m sure he does, too,” she told him. “Even if he didn’t before all this, despite thirty-plus Years in the same industry, he’d be crazy not to now.”

“Well, we’re both pretty crazy,” the younger bassist retorted, grinning. “I mean, look at the industry we chose to go into for our careers.”

“Oh, ya don’t have to tell _me_ twice,” Aerin laughed. “I’ve always said that no rocker’s entirely sane, or they’d never chooseta make a career outta Music.”

“No shit, and both those things combined can make normal parts of Life–like relationships–so much harder,” he mused. “It takes a special person to be able to put up with this kinda Insanity, not to mention not getting to see us a lotta the Time, if we don’t quit our bands like he did.”

“Well, it wasn’t that he really wanted to in the sense of being tired of it,” the young woman revealed.

“I kinda wanna ask, but at the same Time, I don’t wanna pry,” Duff told her.

Before she could get a chanceta respond, they were interrupted by a knock on the door that was followed by that door being opened. Once it’d opened enough to reveal who’d knocked, she wasn’t surprised to see both her stepkids coming in and what appeared to be another couple bodies in the hall behind them. Rising with the Grace of royalty, she headed over to give them both hugs, which allowed her to see Ash and Aidan in the hall with the twins snuggled against their chests as they slept.

Naturally, Zach and Zoe were just as worried as they were surprised to see the younger, blonde bassist chilling on the other side of their dad’s bed. They wanted updates on what’d happened since all Ash’d been able to tell them while they working on getting down here was that their dad was back in the hospital. Course, the young woman’d been expecting that since she knew the youngest bassist wouldn’t tell them everything outta Respect for Bobby’s privacy, if he knew everything to Begin with. It was a sorta unspoken agreement between the small, but growing group that’d existed ever since it’d been just Ash and Aerin living together.

After getting filled in, the older Dall children turned their sights on Duff, who wasn’t quite sure whether to feel at ease or wary. Only when they smiled and Zach moved to shake his hand as he thanked him did he relax into his chair like he wasn’t gonna be suspicious of them Intending to kill him or something. Course, if he hadn’t exactly been friends with the older bassist before, no one could really blame him for feeling that way.

“So, who’s still loitering in the hall?” he asked, clearly having noted other visitors.

“Oh, where’re my manners?” Aerin laughed, knowing what was coming.

“Manners–what manners?” her stepson cackled. “We’re talking about the chick who can out-burp Dad any Day of the week!”

“Sometimes out-fart him, too,” Zoe agreed with a giggle.

“Only when I’m dumb enough to eat too much red meat, which he and a certain _other_ bassist don’t lemme get away with very often anymore,” she shot back. “As for who’s out there–I think a certain _Addison_ needsta get his ass in here and gimme my baby.”

“Only one of your babies since _my_ girl’s claimed the other,” Ash chuckled. “And where on Earth didja come up with Addison?”

“I just pulled a random name outta my ass last Night,” the young woman snickered, gladly taking her son once he was close enough. _“Buongiorno, bambino.”_

_“Buongiorno, Mammina,”_ Zep slurred sleepily as he snuggled against her.

“Chu and Sissy better’ve behaved for Uncle Ashie and Auntie Aidan,” Aerin said as she gave him a stern look, said ginger settling his twin in her lap beside him.

“We ’haved, _Mammina,”_ Zeta swore as she pouted up at her. The lil girl looked every bit like her daddy as much as her Bubba Zach did, while her twin looked more like the young woman than not.

“Chu better not be tellin’ _Mammina_ a story, ’cuz chu knows Uncle Ashie and Auntie Aidan’re gon’ tell meh teh Truth,” she warned them.

“Ah, cut ’em some slack,” the youngest bassist chuckled. “Other than the typical wanting to fight bedtime at first, they were on their best behavior.”

“Now, it’s Time for the Mama to answer me this,” Aidan spoke up, shoving her deep red hair outta her face. “Have I finally lost my ever-lovin’ mind, or am I seeing yet another rock star sitting in here?”

Aerin couldn’t help laughing at her best friend’s question, not surprised by her bluntness now any more than she’d been when they’d first started talking online Years ago. Whether older or younger, that was one of the qualities she liked in her friends, ’cuz she could often be pretty blunt, herself. She wanted to be surrounded by folks who weren’t scared to tell her when she was being a crybaby and to shut the fuck up already as much as they encouraged her to go running headlong into a brick wall again when her first attempt at using her head as a battering ram didn’t work out, so to speak.

That bluntness came out in spades as she assured the ginger woman that no, she wasn’t hallucinating and was still perfectly sane, ’cuz there _was_ a third rocker in the room. Considering that he’d cited him as one of his Influences a few Times, she knew damn good and well that Ash already recognized the blonde bassist. Judging by the look on his face, he was struggling to rein in his inner fan-boy like it was a Horse before he completely embarrassed himself.

Duff couldn’t help a laugh as she explained that while Mötley Crüe was quite the Influence on the youngest bassist, GN’R’d been another of his biggest Influences. He knew the star-struck look that was loitering in his eyes all too well, ’cuz he’d seen it in the eyes of other fans plenty of Times before. But in being a rocker in his own right, he obviously knew there was a certain etiquette that didn’t get followed nearly often enough, and he was trying not to break that unspoken code now. That made Aerin grin as she told him that she’d trained her friend-turned-surrogate brother right, and he knew that exploding into a girlie squeal and a stupid dance’d get him something he may or may not want once they got back to Nashville.

“Really, now?” he chuckled, that chuckle dying away and his eyes widening as he watched her grab Ash by his nape when he shot her a challenging look.

“What was that, pet?” the young woman asked, easily staring him down once she’d pulled him down to her level.

Said youngest bassist almost looked like he wanted to whimper, but didn’t dare.

“That’s what I thought,” she laughed as she let go of his hair. “Tread lightly, or ya might really get it since I’m kinda cut off for at least a couple weeks.”

“Wait, really?” Aidan asked.

“Well, Bobby kinda _did_ just have surgery again,” Aerin explained. “Not nearly as invasive as last Time, but still surgery, all the same.”

“Where the hell _is_ he, anyway?” Ash asked, gently rubbing his nape, now that he was free.

He was answered by a _thump_ from the bathroom door, meaning that the Silver Fox’d heard their conversation.

“Need some help in there, Dad?” Zach asked through the panel.

“It’d be nice since apparently, these nurses’ve better thingsta do,” he answered, his voice a bit muffled.

“Then keep your balls on,” his older son chuckled as he opened the door. He was a bit surprised when Duff made to follow him once he’d opened it.

“I’ve already been filled in, kid,” the blonde bassist told him. “Rebel made sure of that over the course of the Night.”

“Eh, Dad can be kinda picky about who sees him in less than jeans,” he tried to tell him.

“He’s already seen everything but my bare junk and ass, son,” Bobby laughed. “He jumped in to help get me in here since I’m so tall compared to the midgets that answered Aerin’s original call.”

Shrugging, Zach let him follow him into the bathroom while the other couple and his grown baby sister settled in the recovery room to wait. He let the blonde help his dad up from the toilet, knowing that if he hadn’t already managed to clean himself up, he definitely wasn’t gonna let just anyone help with that part. Luckily for the two of them, he really just needed help getting up and back to bed since he’d been able to clean himself up and could reach back to flush on his own.

Once back in bed, Bobby was more than happy to let his younger babies snuggle against his sides, but he made it clear they weren’t allowed to touch his belly. Zep and Zeta shot him a confused look since they were used to being able to use said area as a pillow or toss their arms over it, which made him let out a short chuckle. Thankfully, he was able to dumb down what their mother’d already said about him needing to have surgery into terms that they’d understand, which was just part and parcel of being a daddy. He still wasn’t surprised by the way their lil mouths dropped open into pink _Os_ of surprise, nor that they wanted to see for themselves.

Even Duff couldn’t help a wince, despite knowing the incisions this Time around weren’t gonna be nearly as big as his previous surgery. Then again, while he’d heard about the interview in which he’d mentioned his surgery and supposedly shown off the resulting scar, he hadn’t actually _seen_ said scar. Actually seeing it now really drove home just how serious his condition’d been, and how serious it could become again now.

“Not that I thoughtcha were lying or understating anything, Rebel, but jeez,” he said as he took in the Dark scar across the oldest bassist’s lower belly.

“Yeah, it was a pretty gnarly Day,” Bobby chuckled. “Going by what lil of it I actually remember, that is.”

“Don’t really remember much ’cuz of the anesthesia and other drugs, right?” the blonde bassist asked with a chuckle of his own.

“Eh, mostly the painkillers, but I blocked part of it out by accident, too,” he answered. “I don’t really remember much before they got me to the hospital, and I don’t wanna remember it, either.”

“I don’t blame ya, man,” Ash told him. “I mean, I didn’t really experience much of it myself, but what lil I _did_ –well, I wouldn’t Wish it on my worst enemy.”

“Even if that worst enemy were Andy?” the young woman asked, smirking.

“Okay, I might Wish it on _him_ for all of a split second,” he laughed. “But he was an ass those last couple Years I’d anything to do with him, so he’d kinda deserve it, if ya ask me.”

Looking up, Aerin wasn’t surprised by the confused look on the lone blonde’s face. “Bobby got the rest of Poison–even former members Richie and Blues–to come with him to help celebrate my birthday a lil over a Year after we met.”

“Yeah, ya told me this happened the Morn after your birthday,” Duff said.

“Well, Richie was the one to kick down my bathroom door for me, ’cuz he couldn’t get up to unlock it,” she explained. “He was also the one to get him up off the can for me, ’cuz when I say he was in too much pain to move, I ain’t kidding.”

“I’ve never seen Dad cry from being in pain, but damned if he wasn’t sobbing like a baby that Morn,” Zach chimed in.

“Who’re you kidding, Zach? Daddy was screaming like a demon, too!” his sister stated matter-of-factly.

The blonde bassist couldn’t help another wince as he looked at Bobby.

“Yeah, now ya see why I apparently blocked out the memories,” said Silver Fox chuckled. “Traumatizing for just about anyone, and combined with the pain I was in…”

“May it never happen to me, then,” he said with a grimace.

“Better lay off the coffee, then, if ya haven’t already,” Bobby laughed. “’Cuz that was my biggest problem, and the root cause for me.”

“Duly noted,” he laughed. “Now, on a different topic… What on Earth was it thatcha called her–Aerin?” He gestured to the young woman.

“That’s my actual name,” she laughed. “I just didn’t want the World knowing it, ’cuz no doubt there were cell phones galore recording last Night.”

That Naturally caught the attention of those who hadn’t been at last Night’s show, which made her grin as she glanced around the semi-Circle they made. Ash was no more surprised by the tale she recounted than his own girlfriend and the older Dall children were. They’d all heard her sing before, and they all knew she’d a killer set of pipes that a lotta folks’d kill to have in any Lifetime. In fact, he’d gotten her to help him cover a couple songs by a band she’d introduced him to called Lacuna Coil not long after they’d first met. Sad or no, the Truth of the matter was that she could actually drop down as low as his former band mate, Andy, when she felt like it, so she’d been able to cover the male half of their duets as easily as the female half.

However, he was just as quick as the oldest bassist to realize that there was something unsaid between her and Duff, and he wasn’t shy about calling her out on it. Aerin didn’t bother trying to deny that she thought the blonde was hot as much as she thought her husband was, and she meant that about his current Incarnation as much as his younger Self. In fact, she reiterated that he’d be her second choice in Life partner, but she made it clear that she wasn’t gonna act on those Thoughts.

Bobby wasn’t surprised by what was revealed–not like his musical counterpart seemed to be, that is, but he wasn’t surprised by that, either. Everyone who was the slightest GN’R and Duff McKagan fan knew he’d been happily taken for upwards of twenty Years, that he’d never seriously thought about going after another woman. However, it was pretty obvious that he was equally attracted to the young woman here, that he hadn’t wanted to stick around just to make sure he was gonna be okay. Course, he wasn’t so crass as to call him out on it, but he could tell by his expression at the way he blushed when he pinned a bit of a hard look on him.

“Well, I can’t really lie about thinking she’s hot–especially with her still in that corset from last Night,” Duff admitted sheepishly.

“Speaking of,” Aidan said, pulling open the gym bag she’d brought with her.

“You’re a Lifesaver, woman!” the young woman laughed, catching the shirt she tossed at her. “Now, somebody help me untie this thing–my arms aren’t wanting to be flexible from trying to sleep in a chair in it!”

Laughing, Zach pulled her up to her feet and deftly untied the bows about midway down her back. “Need me to loosen it more than that?”

“Um, yeah,” she answered. “Still can’t really breathe in it!”

The young man couldn’t help another laugh as he loosened the laces of his stepmother’s corset for her, that laughter getting stronger as she slumped more and more.

_“Molto grazie,_ Zach,” Aerin said, disappearing into the adjoining bathroom.

“I gotta say, I’m surprisedja didn’t flip out over that, Bobby,” the blonde bassist said once the door was shut.

“Why freak out over it?” Bobby asked. “I know they’re not interested in each other like that, and that even if my son _was,_ she’d kick his ass for even looking at her the wrong way.”

“Damn right, I would!” she yelled through the door. “And don’t forget the flogging I’d give him with that flogger made outta Cotton yarn, too!”

“Wait, what?” Duff seemed even more surprised than he’d already been.

“Let’s just say that we’re _waaaay_ further left of Center than you’d think at first,” the Silver Fox told him. “And unless it’s with my kid, I’m not exactly closed off to sharing her with another guy, if that’s what makes her happy.”

“We’ll explain it once Bobby gets outta here, but not all’s as it first seems,” Ash chuckled.

“If that ain’t the Truth, I dunno what is,” the ginger woman laughed.

It wasn’t long before the couple decided to head to the hotel the oldest bassist and his wife’d stayed at the Night before last. They were Intent on staying in Atlanta to help out with the twins till he was cleared to Return home since they knew Zep and Zeta weren’t gonna wanna leave their daddy’s side. Given that, they were gonna need to book a room of their own since there wasn’t a doubt in their minds that Zach’d take care of getting the family moved into a full-on suite for the next week or so.

Said older kids decided to head out and do just that while they’d the chance, their siblings proving Ash and Aidan’s prediction true when they refused to leave their daddy’s side. Considering that they were content to simply snuggle against his sides and weren’t being rowdy, they were fine with leaving them for the moment. It’d be later that Night that’d prove to be a challenge, if they didn’t simply wait till they were asleep for the Night.

Duff choseta stick around to keep the other couple company since he wasn’t quite ready to leave, given that it was technically a Day off for him. With more than enough Time to catch up with his band, if he waited till tonight or even the next Day to head to Tampa, he wanted to enjoy his quiet Time while it was available. If that meant spending it in a hospital to visit a man who was at least a sorta coworker to him, he’d take it over Axl being a diva–even though he’d be the first to admit that the ginger front man wasn’t as bad about that as he used to be. Besides, making at least a single new friend in the process was never a bad thing, even if he’d to fight a serious attraction to said new friend’s wife.


	5. Five

A week after winding up hospitalized for more surgery, Bobby’d been released for five Days and back home in Nashville for four. He’d decided to spend a Day at the hotel his family’d congregated at to get some real rest, considering that he pretty much never got any sleep in a hospital. If it wasn’t nurses coming in to do their rounds, it was someone being paged over the PA system that usually kept him awake. There might not be anything he could do about those two things, but that didn’t mean he’d to put his body through the stress of driving home without getting any decent rest first.

Duff’d stayed not just the Day after his surgery, but till the Morn after that, as well, considering he didn’t have to be in Tampa till the fifteenth. That wasn’t much of a surpriseta him, ’cuz his band had performed every two-to-four Days ever since this leg of their tour kicked off on Independence Day. But he’d sworn he’d be visiting them at their Nashville home pretty soon, given that said tour Ended on the twenty-sixth.

Settled in their home again, the Silver Fox was able to relax and really get the rest he needed to be able to Heal quicker and better. He’d scared the twins the first Time Aerin’d cleaned his incision for him, his pained cry unexpected since they hadn’t been in the room at first. Thankfully, they’d quickly been quieted and reassured that while Mommy’d hurt Daddy, it wasn’t ’cuz she’d wanted to. If they didn’t keep his incision clean, no matter how big or small it was, it could make him really sick later on down the road. Neither of the kids wanted to see their daddy get sick, which’d helped with drying their tears as they watched her clean the small, stitched wound on his belly.

Napping upstairs in the master suite at the current moment, Bobby never heard his phone ring where he’d plugged it in to charge on one of the kitchen counters. He and his wife’d both traded numbers with the blonde bassist before he’d left to rejoin his tour for those few remaining dates, so he wouldn’t have been surprised to see his contact pop up on the screen. Since he’d missed the call due to being asleep, he wouldn’t have been surprised to hear said wife’s phone start ringing moments later as he tried her instead.

“Hey there, Duff,” Aerin said when she answered said call.

_“I’m guessing Bobby’s napping again?”_ he chuckled, making sure he could be heard over the noise in the background.

“He and the twins both,” the young woman answered. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

_“Well, gimme your address, and you’ll find out,”_ Duff laughed.

“Wait, you’re seriously in Nashville?” She sounded surprised since she hadn’t thought he was being serious about that.

_“Just landed at BNA a lil while ago,”_ the blonde bassist answered. _“Course, I hope you’re cool with a tag-along.”_

“I doubt Bobby’s gonna care any more than I will, as long as it ain’t Axl,” Aerin told him.

_“Definitely not_ him,” he swore. _“Nah, my wife decided she wanted more Time with me_ – _which isn’t too surprising when I first get off the road, to be quite honest.”_

“In that case, the more, the merrier,” the young woman said before giving him their address.

_“We oughta be there in a lil bit then, as long as Google Maps doesn’t lie to us and traffic’s not like LA,”_ Duff chuckled.

“At this Time of Day, you’re pretty much good to go, barring any really nasty wrecks,” she told him. “It’s really right around Downtown Nashville that gets snarled the worst during either Rush Hour.”

_“You’ve been living here for the past few Years, so ya oughta know,”_ the blonde bassist laughed.

Letting him End the call on the grounds that he texted her, if they _did_ wind up getting lost, Aerin headed upstairsta check on her husband and children. Said children were now awake, but they were just snuggling with their daddy as they let him finish his nap in Peace. They both looked up at her with their thumb of choice in their mouth, each one giggling softly as they somehow snuggled even closer to him.

It took a bit of convincing to get them to come with her, but she finally managed to get them to come with her to the nursery that’d been set up during her pregnancy. Zep and Zeta both insisted on trying to potty on their own, which made her heart swell with Love and Pride since she was glad to see them gaining Independence. Sure, that meant they were growing up on her quicker than she’d like, but she’d known from the moment her pregnancy’d been confirmed in the ER that this was gonna happen. Only two things in Life were guaranteed, those things being Death and taxes, and they’d to grow up before they could die.

By the Time they’d managed to potty and gotten changed into fresh Pull-Ups, the young woman could hear Bobby rustling around in their bedroom. He moved a bit slower than either of them were used to, but not quite as slow as right after his first abdominal surgery. She knew it’d be a few minutes before he even tried getting downstairs, but that’d give her Time to get the kids settled with a snack so she could start on dinner. In fact, it might even give her Time to welcome their surprise guests into the house before she started food prep, too.

“Hey there!” Aerin said, answering the door with a grin when she heard the doorbell ring.

“I’d say long Time, no see, but it hasn’t really been that long,” the blonde on her front stoop chuckled as he leaned down to hug her.

“Damn well _feels_ like it, though,” she laughed. “’Cuz let’s face it, even though it’s only been exactly three weeks, it feels more like three _months.”_

“I’m sure it does,” Duff agreed as he stepped in. “And before we get too far ahead of ourselves, this is my wife, Susan.”

“A pleasure to meetcha,” the younger woman said, holding out her hand.

“Likewise,” Susan agreed as she accepted her handshake. “Duff told me about what happened–well, in as lil detail as possible, that is.”

“Let’s just say the phrase _shit your guts out_ takes on a whole new meaning in this household,” Aerin told her as she closed the front door behind them.

Her Almond-shaped eyes widened as she turned a look on her giant Irishman of a husband.

“I toldja thatcha didn’t want details, hon,” Duff chuckled.

“If what she just said is anything to judge by, I _definitely_ don’t,” the older woman said.

“As for names–well, Duff originally met me as Rebel, ’cuz that’s what I told him and the rest of GN’R to call me that Night,” she told the much taller, equally blonde woman. “My name’s actually Aerin, although it’s not spelled like you’d expect based on whatcha hear.”

“Really, now?” the blonde bassist asked, looking curious.

Laughing as she led them to the kitchen, she admitted that her name started with an _A_ like a character outta the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Taken in that manner, it was said to mean _She who desires the Sea,_ which wasn’t necessarily untrue since she’d a Love for the Sea and submarine Life that simply couldn’t be explained. Beyond that, it was said to be a derivative of the name pronounced the same way, but lacked the _A_ at the Beginning. Its Irish Gaelic meaning was _From Ireland,_ which could be true since she was pretty sure there was some Irish blood somewhere in her family Tree, while its Old Norse meaning was _Peace_ and quite fitting with her Zodiac sign.

Given the way she’d taken digs at his front man the Night they’d met, Duff couldn’t help a laugh at trying to picture this young woman as a peaceful person. What caught his attention was hearing her husband’s slightly nasally voice as he said that she was actually a far more peaceful person than she might seem at first glance. He didn’t say anything else till he actually got into the kitchen, where he settled on one of the bar stools across from the kitchen sink, which overlooked the lil area that woulda been a balcony, had it been upstairs.

Bobby gladly Returned his musical counterpart’s hug as his younger kids glomped his legs once he was settled, then turned his sights on the taller woman. While he’d heard of the blonde and seen a couple pictures of her, he’d never actually met Susan Holmes-McKagan before. Getting to meet her now was certainly a pleasure, even if it wasn’t quite as much of one for him as meeting Aerin’d been for this woman’s husband. And whether he was in the middle of recovering from another surgery or not, he was like a typical Water Witch in that he was ever hospitable toward guests.

Once she’d washed her hands, said younger woman made him pull his shirt up so she could check the incision left by that most recent surgery. Susan choseta avert her gaze while her own husband seemed enthralled, given that it’d been three weeks since he’d even seen the Silver Fox. He was surprised to see a nearly completely-Healed scar that was more scab than it wasn’t now compared to being fresh.

“Wow, I’m amazed by how fast it’s Healed,” he said as he took a look.

“Gotta love being married to a Witch, man,” Bobby chuckled.

“Wait, you’re seriously a Witch?” The younger bassist looked up at their hostess as she allowed him to pull his shirt back down.

“Whyddaya think I wear a Pentacle when I’m outta the house?” Aerin countered with a grin. “If you’ll recall, I toldja that was as much a protective symbol to me as your cross is to you.”

“Well, I’ll be…” Duff trailed off, taking care to watch his mouth in front of the kids.

“The one thing I avoid at all costs is spell work–don’t have the Confidence for it, and I’m not willing to take any chances with my family possibly getting hurt ’cuz I fool around with something I know nothing about,” the younger woman said. “But that doesn’t mean Crystal Healing and other herbal and Natural remedies’re outta the question.”

“It certainly worked Wonders here, and right after my first abdominal surgery three _Years_ ago,” the older bassist revealed.

“Yeah, got your stitches outta an even bigger incision in four weeks that Time, too,” she agreed.

“I mean, I was a bit skeptical when she set what turned out to be Saltwater and Tea Tree oil on Ash’s coffee table, but she gave me some pretty quick proof by showing me her own arm.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” Susan asked curiously.

She was quick to fill her in on why he’d even been in Nashville in the first place when he’d his first abdominal surgery so it made sense. “I’d cut my arm the Day before he and the rest of Poison got here when I broke a glass, but it wasn’t really deep enough to need stitches. Four Days later when he was released from the hospital, it was nearly Healed since I’ve always had a crazy-strong immune system _and_ combined those Healing remedies with it.”

“Since I’ve always Healed pretty quick myself and it didn’t seem to do anything detrimental to her, I figured I might as well give it a shot,” Bobby chuckled. “Needlessta say, Dr. West was surprised by how quick it was Healing, but he’s always thought it was ’cuz of having a crazy-strong immune system of my own.”

“Sounds like a damn good woman to have on your side when ya need her the most,” the blonde bassist mused, unable to resist jumping in to help her with lunch, even though he was a guest.

“I’ll drink enough for all of us to that.”

Looking back over his shoulder, Duff saw the older Dall children joining them from wherever they’d apparently been hiding. After quick introductions between them and his wife, he asked Zach what he’d meant when he’d said that, but he certainly wasn’t expecting the answer he got. Then again, he didn’t suppose that _anyone_ would be, as expressive as the young woman’d seemed to him during the Time they’d spent together.

According to the young man, Aerin’d an almost total Emotional disconnect from the moment she realized something was wrong with her now-husband to the moment he was taken into surgery. She called it compartmentalizing–the ability to turn her Emotions on and off at Will like a light switch in her head–but it was still a bit unnerving to see. It made her seem almost Ice-cold on the outside when she employed that particular skill, but it also took a lot outta her when she did it. Once she turned her Emotions back on, as it were, it was like opening a flood gate that couldn’t ever be closed again later.

“I’ve never seen anyone hold it together, then break down like she did that Day,” Zach continued, even the older of his sisters Awed since she hadn’t seen it for herself. “She’d about as much Emotion as a Stone statue one minute, then she was sobbing into Rikki’s chest like a baby the next.”

“Okay, I saw the _Emotion-of-a-statue_ part for myself,” the younger bassist chuckled.

“Wait, really?” Zoe looked surprised as she gaped at him now instead of her big brother.

“That Night they were in Atlanta a few weeks ago,” he answered, nodding. “She seemed like she was worried about something, but trying to hide it when I found them backstage after the show.”

“That’s definitely Aerin, all right,” she agreed. “Won’t show her Emotions for anything, if she can help it, depending on what’s going on.”

“Well, not in a case where she _needsta_ keep her cool,” her brother amended. “’Cuz let’s face it–we’ve walked in on some stuff that led to both of them throwing pillows at us at the very least.”

“Only when you’re dumb enough to invade our bedroom!” Aerin shot back with a grin. “Our domain, our rules. If ya don’t like whatcha see–or don’t wanna in the first place–don’t enter without knocking unless somebody’s dying or the house’s burning down.”

“Sounds about like what Duff’s told _our_ girls,” Susan laughed. “Close your eyes, or get out, he says.”

“Usually get out,” he chuckled. “I’ve never liked voyeurs, and I definitely don’t want Grace and Mae being such.”

Hearing that made the younger wife and mother grin deviously, her family aside from the twins snickering like they knew a Secret.

“What?” Duff asked, cocking a brow at her. “Can’t help that it gives me _performance issues,_ if ya will.”

“Oh, I never said anything,” she answered with a laugh. “It just reminded me of how Ash was when he and I first met about a Year before I met Bobby.”

That made the other couple shoot her odd looks, Zep and Zeta finally starting to giggle from where they’d pulled into their daddy’s lap to wait while Mama cooked lunch. Neither one were quite sure what to make of that statement, but the blonde bassist was certainly curious, even if his wife wasn’t. After all, they’d hinted at things not being the way they seemed when everybody’d congregated in that hospital room, then refused to elaborate till they were in more private settings.

As she continued working on lunch with his help, Aerin explained that when she said she was more left of Center than one’d think at first, she wasn’t kidding. She didn’t get into how or why, but she _did_ say that she’d been into kinkier sexual practices than one’d guess when she met Ash in the Summer of 2019. Watching her practice tying a couple styles of rope cuffs on herself’d sparked his interest, and from there, it’d snowballed into them becoming play partners. Ever since then, they’d have occasional scenes together–even though they were both now in Romantic relationships with other people, ’cuz those other people weren’t necessarily into the things they were, if they were into kink at all.

Even as his jaw dropped in surprise, Duff was now starting to understand what Bobby’d meant in saying that he wasn’t necessarily averse to sharing his wife with another man. He technically already did when it came to a kinky sense, and it didn’t seem like any of the involved parties were even the slightest bit clueless. If that was really the case, then it couldn’t exactly be deemed cheating, especially if sex wasn’t actually involved.

The young woman vehemently stated that if there wasn’t Knowledge of and consent to the goings-on by anyone even remotely involved, nothing’d happen. A prime example of that woulda been when her husband was recovering from his first abdominal surgery and completely banned from sex. If she’d really wanted to screw around with Ash, he and Aidan both woulda known and consented, or she wouldn’t have let things go any further than the typical scenes they had together. Beyond that, she was one to appreciate Beauty when- and wherever she saw it, but she refused to act on it behind her man’s back.

“Sounds like some serious Dedication,” Susan said thoughtfully as the pair started passing out plates.

“Well, it might be kinda weird, but I basically model myself after _Sailor Moon,”_ she told them. “And I don’t mean the nineties version of the cartoon.”

“Wait, really?” The younger bassist looked surprised for what’d to be the fiftieth Time since he’d met her.

“She’s not exactly wrong,” Bobby chuckled. “She’s a lot like the title character in her level of Love and Dedication, she’s pretty wise for her Years like Sailor Mercury, and she’s the Passion and temper of Sailors Mars and Uranus.”

“Add in the Courage and protective bent of Sailor Jupiter, the Love of Silence that Sailor Saturn has on top of Sailor Uranus’ connection to the Winds and Sailor Neptune’s Intuition, and finally Sailor Pluto’s fixation with Time, Space, and the Afterlife ’cuz of what she heralds over…” Zach continued.

“So, it’s not that I model myself after any one character from the manga and the remake of the anime,” she said. “I pull from almost all of the main characters the same way I pull from several different Pantheons in my Witchcraft.”

“Kinda makes me curious about that now,” the blonde bassist said as they finally passed out drinksta everyone.

“Well, I’m mostly into the Celtic Pantheon–I’m highly drawn to the Morrígan, after all–but I like a lotta the Roman and Greek Pantheons, too,” Aerin explained. “But I use the old names for the Days of the week from the Old Germanic tribes that border more on Old Norse than not. Then there’s what lil of the Hawaiian Pantheon I like–such as Volcano Goddess Pele–and a lil bit of Ancient Shinto, too.”

“Talk about being all over the board,” he chuckled as he settled at the bar with her, Bobby, and the twins.

“Hence why I identify as an _Eclectic Witch_ above all else, even though my Element’s technically Air,” the young woman laughed.

“And this is the very reason why I wanted to at least get the chanceta say goodbye after the show,” Duff admitted. “’Cuz yeah, I’d kill for the chanceta be friends with ya, if only ’cuz there’s so many facetsta your personality.”

“Well, flattering as that is, I’ma make one thing clear right now.”

No one in the room besides Bobby looked anywhere but her, and that was only ’cuz he already knew what was about to come outta his wife’s mouth.

“I’ll be your friend all Day long–I’ll even be your lover, should things ever take that turn,” she told him, her expression deadly serious. “But the same rules apply to that kinda thing as to a play partnership with me–everyone knows and consentsta it, or it doesn’t happen. Polyamory’s one thing, even if it ultimately ain’t for everyone, but cheating’s a totally different ball game in a completely different ball park.”

The other couple seemed more than a bit surprised to hear that, Susan especially from the looks of it, but even the young woman’s stepkids didn’t seem to be. Course, that brought a bit of relief to the taller woman’s mind, knowing that no matter whether her husband flirted with this woman or not, it wouldn’t go any further without everybody knowing about it. He’d never done such a thing before following their original meeting, especially after they’d tied the knot, but she also knew him pretty well. Duff’d never been attracted to anyone besides her quite the same way since they met in 1996, but she could see that same level of attraction in his eyes whenever he looked at Aerin now.

Even as the couples moved to simply hang out while Zach and Zoe took their siblingsta play off to the side of the shallow End of the pool, the McKagans couldn’t help some deep thinking. They hadn’t so much as considered expanding their relationship in the Past, but both were kinda starting to wonder if such a thing’d be worth it. Both’d their own reasons for wondering such a thing, and neither were ready to talk about it just yet, but that was fine by everybody on the back patio.

Knowing looks were shared by Bobby and Aerin every now and again that the other couple were too preoccupied to notice. They both knew that this’d started the moment Axl’d essentially challenged the young woman into singing onstage with GN’R, at the latest. Otherwise, it’d been when–like the Silver Fox once had–the blonde bassist’d looked out over the crowd and seen her having the Time of her Life next to what coulda been a random man or a Romantic partner. Both were curious as to what’d happen now, but they–especially said young woman–knew better than to push anyone beyond their Comfort zones, and especially too fast.


	6. Six

Over the next few months, Duff felt himself starting to get more than a lil restless in his marriage, and he knew exactly why that was happening. Whether he kept in touch with the Dalls–particularly Aerin–or not, he’d never really told his wife about his own interest in kink. He’d simply buried it when she’d expressed absolutely no interest of her own, not wanting to push her and lose one of the best things that’d ever happened to him.

But now, it was almost like the younger woman’d reawakened that decades-old interest when she’d mentioned being into kink, herself. He wouldn’t necessarily say that sex with Susan bored him these Days, and he definitely wouldn’t say he’d fallen outta Love with her. What he’d say with absolute certainty–especially after thinking about it for the past few months–was that he was starting to fall for Bobby’s wife, as well, and that he missed being able to unleash that other side of himself. If at least getting to be play partners with the young brunette satisfied his kinky side, he’d take it–but he wouldn’t deny wanting even more than that, too.

Sitting down with his wife made the blonde bassist more than a lil nervous, and with good reason, if one asked him. He knew damn good and well she was well aware of his ongoing attraction to Aerin, but just hadn’t said anything to him about it. One of the things he’d based his Life on ever since getting sober in the mid-nineties was Honesty, so while he might take a while to speak his mind, he never lied. That was something his wife’d always appreciated and been cool with, so she never pushed him to talk before he was ready.

“Ya okay, Duff?” she asked as they settled on the couch in their lil private reading nook.

“Well, I guess the best word for it’s nervous,” Duff admitted, managing a small smile and a chuckle.

“If it involves being attracted to Aerin, I’m not surprised.” The woman he’d loved and been married to for so long wore a knowing look as she spoke.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised thatcha already knew without me having to say it,” he chuckled.

“C’mon, Duff–how long’ve we at least known each other again?” Susan laughed. “I know ya damn near better than ya know yourself sometimes–of course I’ma know when my man’s attracted to another woman and when he’s not.”

_“Touché,”_ the blonde bassist agreed.

“And I don’t care if you’re attracted to another woman,” she told him. “It’s acting on it–especially behind my back–that’d get to me worse than anything.”

“I think we both know I’d never do that,” Duff retorted sternly. “I mighta been _that_ guy when I was drinking, but I haven’t been since.”

His wife only Graced him with the sweet smile that he’d loved ever since he met her.

“But I’m not gonna sit here and lie by saying that nothing’s Changed since I met Aerin, either,” he sighed.

“I think we’d both have to be deaf, dumb, blind, _and_ dead not to notice that,” Susan said reassuringly.

“Well, it goes deeper than just being attracted to her.” The blonde bassist sighed again as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, yeah–I’d swear I’ve been falling for _her_ just as much as I once fell for _you_. But her mentioning BDSM–it kinda reawakened that side of me since ya know I buried it a long Time ago.”

“Yeah, that I do,” she agreed, gently squeezing his hand. “’Cuz there’s just nothing about that Lifestyle that interests me.”

“And that’s always been a bit of a problem for me, but I haven’t wanted to push too far,” Duff told her as he Returned that gentle squeeze. “Yeah, pushing boundaries can be a big part of BDSM, but not when ya know ya shouldn’t.”

His wife certainly knew that much was true, if only ’cuz that was one of the few things he’d taught her about that Lifestyle before realizing she really _didn’t_ have an interest in it. Even if not having such a thing made him kinda miserable in a way, he was too good a man to act on even that without her knowing about it. What with having buried it deep in the back of his mind for so long, though, she wasn’t surprised it was like a demon clawing its way out at last.

Sighing softly before looking up at him again, Susan told him that while she wouldn’t necessarily like it, she didn’t particularly care if he struck up a play partnership with Aerin. The only thing that made her say that was the young woman having said right in front of her that nothing’d happen without _all_ parties knowing and consenting to it beforehand.

Duff damn near couldn’t believe his Luck as he processed what she’d just told him, considering that he’d gone into this conversation fully expecting her to veto it. Granted, he knew damn good and well that wasn’t her giving him permission to go buck-wild and start screwing around with the younger woman more than boundaries on a scene allowed. Being attracted to and permitted to have scenes with her was a totally different Dragon compared to getting into a relationship with her, and he knew it. Course, whether permitted or not, there were some folks who’d see it as an extra-marital affair on his part, even if his wife was well aware of it before it ever started.

Unable to help a chuckle, Susan told him they’d talk it over with the other couple the next Time they headed down to Nashville to visit them, which was actually gonna be for Christmas in a couple weeks. Well, the other couple celebrated it a different way by a different name, but that was beside the point since it pretty much boiled down to the same thing. Either way, they’d been invited down–and to even bring their girls with them, if they wanted to–and they weren’t gonna say no to such a thing. As much as they loved celebrating with their own families, a Change wasn’t always a bad thing, so they figured they might as well give something new a try.

About two weeks later, Bobby was sacked out on the couch after pulling an all-Nighter to play Santa for the twins, considering their young age. It was something he hadn’t done in quite a while–Zach’d been told the Truth behind that particular lie around the age of ten, and Zoe’d gotten the same bubble-bursting around the same age. Doing this for the last couple Years and now this Year, too, brought back a lotta memories for him and made him glad that he was still around to make more of the same memories now.

He was knocked out so hard that he didn’t even hear the knock at his front door, so he didn’t realize anyone was waiting on the front stoop. He certainly didn’t hear the key that soon unlocked said front door, allowing whoever was out front entry to the house. But it wasn’t really that big a deal, ’cuz it was just Ash–who’d been given a key right after they’d bought the place–Aidan, and the McKagan family.

“Lemme go see if anyone’s up yet,” Ash said, careful to keep his voice down just in case. “They don’t normally ignore knocks or the doorbell ringing, so they’re prolly still asleep.”

“Hey, at least we’re inside and can warm up now,” Duff chuckled, his voice equally soft. “It might not be as cold as Seattle, but it’s still cold out there.”

“I know the feeling, man,” the youngest bassist told him. “Where I grew up in Missouri got colder than this, but that doesn’t mean I like the cold–especially after all my Years in So Cal.”

“Bobby’s knocked out on the couch,” Aidan reported after a stealthy venture into the living room. “From the looks of things, he was up late playing Santa.”

“I’d let Aerin wake him up, then,” he said. “’Cuz if it’s not her or one of the kids–even Zach or Zoe–he might start throwing punches.”

“Never known Bobby to be that way, but things Change, I guess,” the blonde bassist mused.

“He can be a crotchety ol’ bastard when he wantsta be–but hey, he’s more than earned it,” Ash chuckled.

“I’ll go get Aerin up, if she’s not already up with the twins,” his girlfriend said. “She’s less likely to hit me than you.”

“Who’re you kidding, hon? She’d stake me like a Vampire, if _I_ go wake her up,” the youngest bassist retorted. “I think I lived with her long enough and had to wake her up enough Timesta know by now.”

Even the McKagans’d to bite back laughter at that statement, no matter how true it was or wasn’t, as he led them through the archway under the stairs. From there, he led them down the short hallway it opened into, then into the massive family room that overlooked the patio and pool in the backyard. It also connected to the kitchen via a short set of stairs, which was repeated from that small hallway, while the other End of the room was Dominated by the massive fieldstone fireplace.

Ash gestured for them to get comfy after hanging up their coats alongside his own and Aidan’s before heading to the kitchen. If there was one thing to be grateful for right now, it was knowing that he could start on his friend’s typical _Yule_ breakfast, coffee being the first thing on the list. She was absolutely useless for the first hour after she woke, especially without caffeine and nicotine since–while she’d quit smoking–she still vaped these Days. He still didn’t necessarily agree with that choice, but at least it was healthier for not just her, but for lil Zep and Zeta, too.

It wasn’t long before he heard his girlfriend coming back downstairs, another pair of footsteps right behind her on the stairs. Those footsteps drew closer to the kitchen, and he wasn’t disappointed to see a half-asleep, tousled version of his friend and former roommate. Both women carried one of the twins, who were as half-asleep as their mother was, each of the childrens’ heads resting on their shoulders.

_“Buon_ –what-the-fuck-ever it is ya say,” the youngest bassist chuckled.

_“È buongirono,”_ Aerin grumbled, her jaw widening like a Snake’s as she let out a yawn so hard, her teeth clacked shut again afterward.

“Yeah, that,” he said. “Coffee’s already going, so gimme that lil rascal and go see if ya can rouse your man without a set of jumper cables.”

“Where is he?” the young woman asked, her words sorta slurred from not quite being awake.

“Living room,” Ash answered, pointing toward the formal living room that was adjoined by the office. “Not quite sure how he wound up there, if he was doing what we think he was.”

“Prolly tried to get upstairs and thought better of it by the Time he reached the foyer,” she giggled as she headed off without seeming to notice her other guests.

“She always like this first thing?” Duff asked on a chuckle once she was gone.

“Absolutely useless for the first hour after she gets up, especially without caffeine and nicotine,” he answered, nodding. “She doesn’t smoke anymore, before ya ask–she quit after she found out she was pregnant. But she still vapes, even though she knows that’s still not very good for her.”

“Addicts’re addicts, man,” the blonde bassist chuckled. “We’ll do anything for our fix till we’re actually ready to quit, whether it’s a smoke or a line.”

“I’ll take your word for it since the only thing I’ve ever really had a problem with was alcohol,” Ash told him. “And that pretty much stopped after my therapy for other shit a few Years ago, not to mention something Aerin said to me not long after we met.”

“What was that, if ya don’t mind my asking?” Susan shot him a curious look. “What she said to ya, I mean.”

“That she didn’t wanna see me go the way of Bon Scott any more than she’d wanna see Bobby or Nikki Sixx go that way,” the youngest bassist answered. “And while she still thinks Nikki’s good-looking for his age, she doesn’t have nearly the hots for him that she once did.”

“Really, now?” Duff asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“So, I’ve a thing for bassists–better watch where ya bite me and how hard, ’cuz I bite back.”

Looking over at the doorway that led to that front hall, they saw Aerin all but dragging her zombie of a husband behind her.

“But he’s not kidding about that,” she said, waving to the blonde family her own kids seemed to be hiding from. “I’ve had the hots for even him before, but Bobby’s the one with the key to my heart.”

Naturally, the McKagans–even their grown daughters, Grace and Mae–though she was just speaking metaphorically when she said that. Bobby reaching down the neck of his shirt and pulling out the necklace that resided under it alongside the Pentacle he’d taken to wearing proved them wrong in a heartbeat, though. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw the fairly feminine Charm dangling from the Silver chain, but even more so when he sleepily recounted the tale of how she’d given it to him.

While she was working on pouring coffee for the two of them, Zep and Zeta clinging to their Uncle Ashie’s legs, the oldest bassist couldn’t help a tender smile. His wife was stubborn as a Tennessean Mule, had the temper of an Italian housewife and an Irishman combined, and a wild streak a country mile wide when she wanted to. But while she embodied all those qualities that most’d consider more negative than not, she was fiercely protective over who and what she loved, often took care of those around her to the point of neglecting herself, and she cared a lot more than she usually let on. It took a while and quite a bit of work to crack her tough outer shell completely, but once one did–well, they found out that it was more than worth the effort.

Bobby couldn’t help a smile as he took the mug Aerin handed him moments later before she settled beside him and snuggled against his side with her own. He admitted that after his divorce over twenty Years ago, he hadn’t put any thought into having such a serious relationship again. Sure, he’d wanted Love and someone he could grow old with, but not necessarily to the point of marriage since he wasn’t quite sure he’d it in him to take _that_ leap of Faith again. Getting involved with this young woman was certainly challenging at Times, but it always seemed to bring out the best in him in one way or another.

“She keeps me on a leash while turning me looseta fly, if that makes any sense,” he said after taking a sip of his coffee.

“It does, if ya think about it in an–ahem, _alternative_ kinda way,” Duff told him.

Both the other couples knew damn good and well what he was eluding to and simply nodded.

“I’ve had that kinda mental sensation before, so that kinda phrasing makes total senseta me,” the blonde bassist continued. “Like you’re powerful enough to climb Mount Everest, but still smart enough to admit when ya need help.”

“And lemme tell ya, that’s not something Bobby does any easier than I do,” Aerin laughed. “But I’ve my ways of dealing with it, so it’s not as Insanity-inducing as you’d think for me.”

“Howddaya deal with it, then?” Susan asked. “’Cuz even after more than twenty Years with him, that side of _Duff_ can get on even my nerves sometimes.”

“Believe it or not, Bobby’s a lot like Daddy.” She looked up at the picture hanging over the entertainment center across from the couch. “In both personality _and_ looks, actually.”

“I still don’t see it,” the lone ginger chuckled as they followed her gaze.

“I think I do,” Ash said with a thoughtful hum. “If I saw a picture of Bobby at about the same age, I’d prolly be able to put my finger on it.”

The young woman beckoned him over, her phone now in hand as she unlocked it and started searching for something.

“Okay, yeah–not identical by any means, but I can see it now,” he said as she passed her phone around.

Everyone else took a look at the picture of the Silver Fox from around his late-twenties or early-thirties, which appeared to be the age of her Ancestor on the wall.

“Their eyes look similar–like, the shape of them,” Grace said.

“So do their jawlines,” her sister agreed. “And maybe their cheekbones, too? Not entirely sure on that, though.”

“My pappaw–Daddy, as I call him these Days–had more of the Cherokee hawk nose than Bobby does, but those’re the same similar physical features I see, too,” Aerin said.

Ash’s eyes widened when she mentioned the Cherokee tribe, noting that it seemed to be a pretty common trend in this insanely-blended family. He’d quite a bit of Cherokee blood in his own veins, he and the Silver Fox were both fluent in Cherokee, and now she revealed this on top of it. He wouldn’t have said he believed in coincidences before he’d met her, but now–well, maybe there was something to that whole _written-in-the-Stars_ mumbo-jumbo she’d talked about before.

The young woman laughed as she admitted that–if she recalled correctly–her pappaw’d been a quarter Cherokee. It wasn’t the same blood line as what her friend stemmed from, though–most likely, it was some part of the original Cherokee that still resided in the Appalachians now. The youngest bassist’s blood line was most likely from one of those who’d been driven out West on the _Trail of Tears,_ as it was now known.

Bobby gently rubbed her arm as she took her phone back from Mae and locked it, easily sensing that she was about to clam up on them. She’d never really talked about her pappaw–or any other part of her Life from before she moved to Tennessee–ever since they’d met, and he doubted she would now. Whether she ever did or not, he was just thankful to have her in his Life, and that was just one of the things he Intended to celebrate this _Yule_. If she wanted to talk about those kinda things, she would eventually, and he damn well knew that after the last four Years.

“Ash can explain it later, ’cuz he knows what I mean,” she sighed. “And that no liquor bottle in the house’s safe from me, if I get into it, especially right now.”

“Wait, I thought he–” the youngest bassist said, cutting himself off as he gestured.

“He _did,_ but the last Christmas before his Death…” Aerin paused for a few moments before continuing. “Well, let’s just say it’s one of the many reasons why I hate my Birth Creature–and yes, I mean _hate_ –that I haven’t forgiven her for and never will.”

Even Duff could see the Fire burning in her eyes and knew better than to ask. “I don’t even have to ask if ya truly hate your mother or not, although I’m not sure how anyone could.”

“When you’re totally abandoned by one parent and might as well be by the other, it’s not something very hard to accomplish,” she explained. “Hence why I quite literally ran away at the age of twenty-six in the Summer of 2019. After meeting Ash, I swore up and down that I’d go die on Nashville’s _Skid Row_ before I ever set foot in North Carolina again, even for a Poison concert.”

“So, _that’s_ why he picked the Atlanta show to get tickets for,” Bobby chuckled. “That part finally makes senseta me.”

“Yeah, that’s why he picked the Atlanta show,” the young woman laughed. “At the Time he bought the tickets, y’all hadn’t added the Nashville show, so he went with the closest one he knew he wouldn’t have to sedate me for.”

“And how much fun wouldja have at a concert, if you’d been sedated?” said youngest bassist asked with a grin.

“Definitely not as much as meeting Bobby, or putting Axl to shame a few months ago,” Aerin retorted.

“Damn, ya actually showed off those pipes?” He looked genuinely surprised. “And in front of more than ten people, too?”

“Hey, don’t be trying to kill my man!” Aidan chuckled. “I kinda need him later.”

“Oh, shut up before I take away his ability to function normally, let alone perform _like that!”_ the young woman shot back with a downright dirty grin.

The blonde bassist couldn’t help but shoot his own wife a look at their playful banter, which only thinly disguised their kinky talk to those who didn’t know about their interests. Susan shot him a look in Return that clearly said she got his message, but thought now wasn’t really the Time to talk about such things. He certainly agreed with that, ’cuz their girls’d never known about his kinky side, and they’d minors in the room right now.

Bobby wasn’t an unobservant idiot by any means, and he was quick to catch on to the fact that the blondes were having an unspoken conversation with one another. He cocked a brow at them once they looked back in his Direction, which made them both take pause before his counterpart mouthed, _Later_. Not really seeing any other choice, he simply nodded his assent as his wife rose from the couch to start on _Yule_ breakfast, Zep and Zeta starting to squirm excitedly. Both toddlers knew they weren’t starting the festivities till their older siblings arrived and they’d all eaten, but that still didn’t cut down on their excitement.

While waiting on said older siblings and food, he and Ash explained the premise of what they were celebrating as best they could. Aerin filled in what few gaps remained in their explanation from the kitchen, and the McKagans could definitely see why they preferred this particular Sabbat over Christmas. They way they celebrated it made it seem a lot more warm and cozy, even if gift-giving was a big part of the celebration. It made them all glad to’ve been invited to partake, even if it wasn’t something they did again without a new relationship forming between her and Duff at some point. After all, they were all but strangersta this family and their friends beyond the professional connection between all three bassists.

Even as they spent the Day relaxing and enjoying each others’ company, said blonde bassist was working out how to talk to the Dalls about what he and Susan’d discussed a couple weeks ago. It was definitely something better done in private, but he wasn’t exactly sure on the Timing of such a thing, considering the level of Intimacy no doubt to be involved.


	7. Seven

Later that afternoon, when Aerin headed upstairs with the twins for a nap, Duff couldn’t bite back his Curiosity to save his Life any more than his wife and daughters could. While he might not know her nearly as well as her family, he’d like to think he knew Aerin well enough to realize she’d shown more Emotion while talking about her apparently-deceased grandfather and her mother than she normally did. He wanted to know why that was, and why she refused to say more than she had instead of letting someone else do it for her.

“Did she say we could tell?” Zach asked, he and Zoe having long since arrived by this point.

“She said that Ash could later, or no liquor bottle in the house was gonna be safe from her,” the Silver Fox answered. He was looking a bit tired, but too curious not to sit in on this particular chat.

“’Cuz she’d have started drinking like it was the anniversary of his Death, which was two months ago,” Ash said, remembering the first Time he’d gotten to witness that particular carnage. “She might be a happy-go-lucky kinda drunk, but when she gets _rip-roaring_ drunk–well, let’s just say she tendsta wind up worshipping the Porcelain God for six hours straight the next Day.”

“Jeez, she’s that much of a lightweight?” the blonde bassist asked with a wince.

“Only when she goes beyond her limit,” he answered. “If she sticksta her limit of three shots or less, she might wake up nauseous at worst.”

“Otherwise, it’s pretty much like the Beginning of her pregnancy,” Bobby mused.

The others cocked their brows curiously, not quite getting what he meant since he and the youngest bassist’d been the onesta see the majority of _that_ particular misery. Chuckling, he recounted how he’d turned up for a visit–and to show her the listing for this very house–only for them to find her clinging to the toilet bowl, her head on the seat like it was a pillow. Gross though it’d been, it’d spoken volumes about how sick she really was–not much grossed her out, but even Aerin usually wasn’t daffy enough to use a toilet seat as a pillow.

“So, what about her pappaw’s Death’d make her wanna drink till she was sick like that for most of a Day?” Duff asked curiously.

“Like me, her grampa was more like her daddy growing up,” the youngest bassist answered. “Our grampas died different Deaths, but they still hit us pretty hard, all the same.”

“But my wife’s not one to show Emotion unless she finally hits the kinda breaking point it’d take to deck Bret or Axl in the face, on- or offstage,” Bobby continued. “She tendsta bottle a lotta shit up, almost like Water and Earth Witches’re known for doing.”

“Unlike most people, though, she can keep herself on a pretty tight leash with alcohol,” Ash revealed. “She cuts herself off without me or Bobby having to tell her she’s had enough when she getsta drinking. That being said, she uses her birthday, the anniversary of her grampa’s Death, and the Day between those–which woulda been _his_ birthday, according to her–as her _purge Days.”_

“She lets out whatever she’s bottled up all Year, whether it pertainsta his Death or not, but she usually hasta get rip-roaring drunk to let down those walls enough to do it,” the oldest bassist explained.

“Okay, now that I can get to a certain extent, ’cuz she’s not the first I’ve heard of needing a boost like that,” Duff mused. “What I don’t get is why she’d have started drinking like that today, if it’s _not_ the anniversary of his Death.”

“’Cuz apparently, the last Christmas that he was alive, she got totally excluded from the family celebration.” The half-Irish, half-Cherokee man veritably growled at the Thought, his girlfriend rubbing his back to Calm him as much as she could.

“Ya gotta be shitting me.” Even the oldest bassist was shocked to hear that.

Shaking his head, Ash explained how she’d told him that–somehow or another–the whole heat pump’d come unplugged from the side of the house in the middle of the Night. Unable to get the electricity it needed to run, it never turned on, and by the Time Aerin’d gotten fed up with trying to sleep, the tempature inside’d dropped into either the fifties or sixties. That normally wouldn’t have been too bad, but it’d been twenty or less outside at the Time, so it’d felt colder inside than it really was.

Naturally, that’d led to a sleepless Night for her, but she’d tried not to be too much of a party-pooper for the rest of her family. Her efforts’d apparently been in vain, ’cuz after going outside for a smoke to help wake up and Calm herself down from a hissy-fit she’d nearly thrown, the rest of the family’d done the unthinkable. They’d taken all the presents that’d been under the Tree to the other End of their double-wide trailer, telling her that she wasn’t welcome to celebrate with them, if she was gonna ruin it for everyone else. Her mother in particular hadn’t even given her a chanceta cheer up a bit more before she started the typical Christmas brunch and present-opening.

Left completely by herself, the young woman’d dragged all her presents out from under the Tree and to her bedroom. She didn’t bother unwrapping them where anyone could see, ’cuz she’d decided that if they weren’t gonna let her join the festivities, they didn’t deserve to know what she’d gotten unless they’d been the onesta buy a particular present.

What made it even worse for her was that it wasn’t even a Year later when her pappaw passed away, so she blamed her mother for not getting that last Christmas with him. She swore up and down that he was such a pervert that he’d held on just long enough to say he was the pervert’s number in age, ’cuz not even forty-eight hours after the start of his birthday, he was dead and gone. In fact, it’d technically been her to pronounce him, based on the fact that he was bluer than a Smurf and she couldn’t find a pulse, no matter how many Times and places she checked in an attempt to find one.

“God damn,” Duff breathed, his hazel eyes almost as wide as the pool in shock. “It’s no Wonder she’d have wanted to start drinking like a Fish, if she’d gotten into all this, herself.”

“That’s _if_ she’d even been able to tell the full story,” the youngest bassist told him. “When she starts talking about her Past from North Carolina, she usually chokes up halfway through and physically _can’t_ continue.”

“She really _does_ get that Emotional when she actually starts showing her Emotions,” her husband agreed before any of the McKagans could question that. “Or if she gets pissed–whether it’s to hide her true Emotions or not–there’s various levels of pissed for her.”

“Like what, Dad?” Zach asked curiously.

“If she just gives ya a dirty look, you’re stepping on her toes, but not necessarily about to see Violence,” he started. “When she getsta glaring so hard, an entire side of her nose starts twitching, it’s Time to leave her alone ’cuz she’s already holding herself back. If she clenches her fists so hard, her arms start shaking from her shoulders all the way down to those fists, she’s about to lay out a fool mine and Duff’s size like they’re her own size.”

“No way,” Grace said, her eyes now widening in surprise.

“I’ve seen her lay Rikki–who’s a black belt in Brazilian _Jiu-Jitsu_ –with a single punch, if he tried to break up the wrong fight,” the Silver Fox chuckled.

“I remember that one,” Ash laughed. “Bret wouldn’t quit pushing her buttons, no matter how many Times she warned him to cut it out. Next thing we knew, Rikki was on the floor, out cold with a black eye, ’cuz she’d been going after Bret and he jumped between ’em to stop her.”

“Well, for the ones who _didn’t_ witness it–keep in mind, he’d started on her around eight that Morn, and it was nearly five that Eve before she even tried to punch Bret,” Bobby said with a grin.

“Soundsta me like she’s a helluva fuse,” the blonde bassist chuckled.

Both his counterparts vehemently denied that, saying that she usually preferred to just explode and get it over with so she could move on with her Life. She’d only been holding back that Day ’cuz she couldn’t seem to get Zep and Zeta out from under her feet, and she didn’t want them getting the idea that Violence was the answer to a disagreement. Eventually, even her fuse reached its End, though, and Aidan’d gotten said kids outta the room so she could finally explode.

Watching her lay Rikki out cold like he was a foot shorter and fifty pounds lighter with a blow that’d been meant for him, though, finally made the blonde front man realize just what this girl was capable of. Knowing that she pretty much didn’t work out unless one counted when she’d bust out the weed-whacker, and was therefore a lot weaker than any of the guys, he’d realized the level of superhuman strength she acquired when she was pissed. From there on out, he’d practically started walking on eggshells around her, never knowing what might set her off to that point again and when. He’d learned his lesson without having to actually be punched by her, and that lesson’d stuck for the last three Years or so.

However, the point in all this was to make Duff and company realize that while she’d her limits for just about everything in Life, Aerin wasn’t inherently a bad person. She might seem cold and heartless at Times, but that was more so from trying not to get more Emotionally involved or otherwise attached than she knew was good for her. In fact, she often quoted a Papa Roach lyric as being a Truth about her that few realized, ’cuz she cared a lot more than most gave her credit for. That was one of the things that made her such an awesome friend, and an even better wife and mother, for those lucky enough to crack her shell.

“Well, that kinda brings me to what’s been on my mind for a while,” the blonde bassist finally said. “I’m just not saying it in front of my girls.”

“Betcha I know what you’re talking about,” Bobby chuckled. “And not the best of ideasta say it in front of even Zach and Zoe, if I’m right.”

He merely cocked a curious brow at him, arms crossed over his chest.

“Let’s just say it’s not for the faint of heart, and definitely not fit for minors,” the Silver Fox told him with a devious grin. “And shit that prolly no kid on the Planet wantsta know about their parents.”

“Yep, I think we’re on the same page,” Duff laughed as his girls made faces about as much as his counterpart’s kids did. “And if we’re not, we’re on pages that’re still pretty damn close together.”

“That’s it–have fun with whatever gross talk you’re hinting at,” Grace groused as she jumped up from the couch. “I’m sure this place’s big enough for us to find somewhere to hide before we wind up scarred for Life.”

“I think I can safely speak for even my sister when I say we second that,” the youngest man laughed as he roseta join her.

Mae and Zoe giggled as they joined their older siblings by getting up to head upstairs, prolly to the rec room on the second story directly over the great room.

“Honestly, I’d prefer that Aerin were present for this part,” the blonde bassist said. He didn’t even notice when he grabbed his wife’s hand, but his counterparts and Aidan certainly did.

“Depends on what you’re about to say,” Ash told him. “’Cuz between the two of us, Bobby and I might be able to speak for her.”

“Or not, since I just woke up.”

Glancing over from the arm chair he’d settled in, Bobby saw his wife coming down that short set of stairs from the front hall. She yawned as she stretched her arms over her head, lifting her breasts in a gorgeous way that he couldn’t ever get enough of. He was pretty sure the other two bassists were also admiring the view, even though Ash’d his own woman and knew damn good and well this one didn’t want him like that.

Chuckling softly as he spread his legs a lil more, he patted the chair right between them in a Silent invitation to join him. Whether there was enough room for her to sit elsewhere or not, it was one of their favorite positionsta wind up in, barring anything sexual. Both of them were pretty big cuddlers, especially while asleep, and that was one of the many things that’d made him fall in Love with Aerin. She ticked off boxes for traits he’d already known he liked, even back when Zach was a baby, and she’d Awakened his mind to traits he hadn’t even realized he liked in a woman.

“I’m guessing we’re about to get into some kinky talk, if none of the kids’re present,” she said, wiggling her hips between her husband’s thighs till she was comfy.

“Yeah, actually,” Duff admitted, his face turning a Light shade of pink.

“Damn, man,” the youngest bassist chuckled. “I didn’t know _you_ were into this crazy shit, too.”

“A lotta people don’t,” he told him, grinning sheepishly. “I didn’t really tell anyone before Sue and I met, and I’ve pretty much buried that side of myself since then.”

“Not exactly smart since it can put strain on just about any relationship,” the youngest woman remarked.

“Yeah, I know–but I also know that pushing boundaries one’s no business pushing, let alone crossing, is equally dumb,” he retorted.

_“Touché,_ ’cuz that’s definitely true,” Aerin agreed. “Hence why I told Bobby before we ever got together that if he couldn’t handle Ash and I being play partners, nothing between us was ever gonna work out.”

“She’s not cruel enough to try forcing _me_ into participating, if I don’t wanna, even though she _is_ a sadistic lil bitch when she wantsta be,” Bobby chuckled, that chuckle turning into a moan when she reached behind him to grab the hair at his nape.

“Watch it, big boy, or this sadistic lil bitch’s gonna wanna play one way or another,” she warned him as she grinned at him over her shoulder.

“Yes, Ma’am,” the Silver Fox all but whimpered, sighing when she let go of his hair.

“Holy shit,” Susan breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at the two of them.

“Oh, don’t let her current Dominant moment fool y’all for a second,” Ash chuckled. “She can beat my ass like no other and make me love every second of it.”

“When she’s _not_ tying ya up and locking ya in a closet to Time your escape, that is,” his own girlfriend laughed.

Nobody in the room was immune to a short bout of laughter at that, but they quickly composed themselves so they could get into the more serious aspects of the conversation. Duff made no bones about being attracted to the youngest woman, but knowing better than to push for anything beyond play partners since not everyone involved might be okay with that. A good case in point was how she’d play with the youngest bassist all Day or Night long, but she didn’t want him in a Romantic sense like she woulda roughly a decade ago.

Bobby shrugged and said that he didn’t really care how far it went, as long as his wife was happy and he still got his own alone Time with her. He’d occasionally let her tie him to their bed, but that was about it since he didn’t have much of a pain tolerance when it came to shit like the floggings she liked dishing out. Since his interest in the Lifestyle Ended there, that was another reason he was cool with her side play partnership.

Seeing Ash and Aidan agree with that made Susan a lil more comfortable with the idea of at least a play partnership between this young woman and her husband. However, she said she’d still have to weigh the pros and cons of turning him looseta go further than that, and that went for pretty much every other woman on the Planet. After all, it was already taking a lotta Trust on her part and Faith in his ability to remain–well, faithful to let him go that far with another woman. That already wasn’t very easy, and she wasn’t too sure how capable she’d be of sharing him beyond that particular limit.

“And that’s fine,” Aerin assured her. “This Lifestyle’s not for everyone, as ya already well know.”

“Prime example,” the youngest bassist said. “When I met Aidan ’cuz of ’em being friends, I wasn’t expecting to wind up dating her. So, let’s say she hadn’t been comfortable with mine and Aerin’s pre-existing partnership–I’d have Ended it, if Aerin didn’t, whether I liked it or not.”

“But personally, I’ma _live-and-let-live_ type,” the ginger told them. “As long as he doesn’t fuck her since that’d just be too weird, I don’t really care what they do together.”

“However, one of my hard limits on _any_ kinda scene’s penetration of any kind,” her friend said. “I don’t even want a toy used on me when Ash’s Topping me. The only way I Change my mind about that’s if Bobby gets the ballsta Top me, and even that’s pretty rare, in and of itself.”

“I’d rather keep making a Truth outta one of your favorite Poison lyrics than beat and fuck ya,” Bobby chuckled, gently squeezing her waist.

“Do I even wanna know what lyric you’re referring to?” the blonde bassist asked with a slightly wary chuckle of his own.

_“So, I roll her over in the middle of the Night, and I rock my baby till the Mornin’ Light,”_ he sang, revealing that he actually had a much better singing voice than he was usually given credit for.

Duff couldn’t help his surprise since he couldn’t really tell one backing line from another in any of Poison’s songs. He also couldn’t help his surprise at the particular lyric of choice, even though he’d admit that it was kinda fitting, as wild as rockers were known to be sometimes. But what made him howl with laughter was when he admitted that _Good Love_ was one of his wife’s favorite songs as much as GN’R’s song _Rocket Queen_ was, and for a few of the same reasons.

They soon got their conversation back on track, all of them agreeing that the first step they oughta take was he and Susan watching a scene between Aerin and the youngest bassist. Whether she Topped him or bottomed for him, it’d give the blondes a look at their style of play, which’d allow them to start negotiating before they actually had a scene. After all, while she’d admitted what one of her hard limits was already, she wasn’t gonna admit all of them for just anyone to hear. That was the kinda shit he’d have to figure out on his own just like Ash had, whether it was through negotiation or simply reading her during any scenes. Even her own husband had to figure out a lotta what she liked and didn’t like based on her body language when they got intimate.

Considering this was supposed to be a celebratory Time, though, they all also agreed that now prolly wasn’t the best of Times for a scene. If they _did_ Change their minds, it’d be better to wait till later that Night, or between Christmas and New Year’s to head out to the poolhouse dungeon they’d set up. They were leaving it up to the blonde bassist, though, ’cuz Bobby’d long since quit his band and was free for just about anything whenever the mood struck. Ash lived close enough that nailing down a Time for a scene really just relied on him deciding to take a weekend off from one of his many various projects.

Since he knew his own band would be wanting to schedule another Summer tour since they already had a Spring one nailed down, Duff said that sometime in January’d prolly be best. He’d have to fly back down here to Nashville, whether he brought his wife or not, after all–he didn’t wanna be making too many trips down here too close together and making his band suspicious. What he did or didn’t do outside the bounds of the band wasn’t any of their or anyone else’s business, if it didn’t directly involve them and he stayed outta jail. Everyone else could agree with that, and it was a good enough conclusion to such a conversation for the Time being. Knowing the twins were no doubt soon to wake from their nap, they decided to put anything else on hold till at least that Night to be sure they didn’t overhear anything they shouldn’t.


	8. Eight

_Nashville, Tennessee_

_January, 2025_

A lil over a month after the _Yule_ celebration he’d been invited to, Duff found himself back in Nashville again for the scene they’d managed to set up. Since it was Ash’s birthday now, he’d decided that getting beaten silly and maybe even birthday sex from his own girl was what he wanted versus material goods. Aerin was all too willing to oblige by that, if that was what he really wanted, and they’d even negotiated letting the significant others sit in to watch, too.

Considering that none of them wanted the twinsta accidentally witness any of what happened, Bobby’d headed off to take them to Bubba Zach’s place. Zoe’d recently found out that she was pregnant, so she wasn’t exactly feeling up to wrangling a pair of toddlers right now. At least they’d be in good, trustworthy hands for the Night, and that was the main thing that mattered to their parents, as well as their surrogate aunt and uncle.

Said surrogate uncle was currently waiting for the young woman to come pick him up, ’cuz one of their rules of play was that when he was bottoming for her, he wasn’t allowed to even drive himself over. He’d a bad habit of driving drunk in the Past, and she wasn’t about to take her chances with him trying to drive while stoned on his own endorphins. If making him let her pick him up and drop him off–or have the Silver Fox do it, for that matter–nixed that problem in the bud before it ever really was one, it was all for the better. Even when it felt like a blow to his Pride, he could understand their concern, so he didn’t really let it bother him as much as it could–and usually woulda.

Given that she’d just picked the blonde bassist up from the airport, Aerin decided to just go ahead and swing by Ash’s on the way home since they’d have to pass his neighborhood. She’d shot him a text right before throwing her truck in gear to let him know that she was on her way, and that she’d get any response he sent once she was in his driveway. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was that she didn’t play with her phone in the slightest while she was driving unless she was on the interstate, no traffic around her.

“Ah, shit,” she muttered, checking her phone once she was parked. “Guess I’m doing one of the things that annoys the ever-living fuck outta me.”

“What’s that?” Duff asked as he glanced over at her from the front passenger’s seat.

Instead of answering him, the young woman simply laid her hand on the Center of her steering wheel and all but laid her entire body weight on it.

“What’s so annoying about blowing a horn?” he laughed once she removed her hand.

“Personally, I find it highly rude and disrespectful to blow a horn instead of getting out and ringing a doorbell to let someone know you’re out front,” Aerin answered. “But in this case, it’s better for everyone to be a lil crass.”

The blonde bassist couldn’t help his confused look as the front door of the home they’d parked in front of opened, Ash darting out with a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.

“Sorry I couldn’t letcha come in this Time,” he said as he opened the back door to throw said bag in.

“It’s fine, Ash,” the young woman laughed. “Go give ’em a hug and a kiss from us–even Duff and Susan–and get your ass back out here so we can go home and beat it.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n!” Ash laughed.

They both watched as he darted back into the house, the front door closing behind him to keep out the cold Air. Moments later, it opened again and the youngest bassist came back out, only pausing long enough to make sure it was locked before heading back down to the truck waiting in his driveway. He was quick to hop into the back seat, obviously shivering a bit as he slammed the door closed behind him and started to get settled behind his friend.

“Everything all right, man?” Duff asked, sounding as curious as he did concerned.

“Eh, it’ll be all right eventually,” he answered as he bit his lip.

The young woman mimed zipping hers and throwing away the key before putting her truck in gear so she could take off.

“Thanks, girlie,” Ash chuckled. “Ya know I don’t really talk about ’em for a reason.”

“Hey, after your experience a few Years before we met, I don’t blame ya,” she told him. “And that’s not including my own experience, which I solved by getting my CC.”

“But to answer your question, Duff–my daughter’s sick, and we’ve to be really careful with her,” the youngest bassist told him.

“I didn’t even know you’d a daughter,” he chuckled. “Congrats, though.”

“Thanks, and not many do,” Ash said. “After contending with a stalker back in the 2015 era, I keep a lotta my Life private now.”

“Can’t blame ya there,” the blonde bassist agreed. “I’ve done everything I could to keep Grace and Mae outta the media, even after they were grown.”

“Well, there’s more to it than that.” He couldn’t help a sigh at the memories. “I just about lost Aidan and Ember both, and it’s still kinda touch-and-go some Days.”

Naturally, Duff was even more curious than he’d been before, but he didn’t wanna push any buttons he shouldn’t, especially right before a scene. The thing about him and Aerin both, though, was that going through a scene right after opening up about something that was hard for them actually helped get their heads back on straight. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have opened up such intimate parts of his Life to someone who–while quite the Inspiration for him–was more or less a complete stranger.

When they’d accompanied the group down to Florida due to Bobby selling his house and the couple wanting a Beach handfasting, he and Aidan’d driven like their friends had. They coulda made it back within a Day or two, if they’d switched out on who drove, but since they’d both been up quite a while for the handfasting, they’d decided to get a hotel room for the first Night at least. Being in a relationship and caught up in such Romantic goings-on all Day, they weren’t about to let their exhaustion stop them from getting some Romance of their own before it was all said and done.

That’d happened a couple more Times on their way back to Nashville, which wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone. What _was_ a surprise, however, was finding out about a month later that his girlfriend was pregnant, and therefore had to’ve conceived at some point on that road trip. It was completely unplanned, but not necessarily unwanted, and it’d sparked a bit of a domino effect in both their Lives.

First things first, Aidan’d finally decided to move down to Tennessee so they wouldn’t have to keep up all this Travel, much like Bobby’d decided to move up from Florida. She wasn’t about to cut him outta his baby’s Life, especially with how much he valued his family, nor was she gonna do anything rash like have it _quietly taken care of_. However, she wasn’t about to practically demand that he move back to Bum Fuck, Missouri since he’d worked so hard to get outta there in the first place. What with how established he was down in Nashville, it simply made more sense for her to move South, even if it took her further away from a lotta her own friends and family.

“And don’t get me wrong–she loves it down here,” Ash chuckled. “Well, maybe not _loves,_ but she’s happy enough, ’cuz she’s as outspoken as Aerin–she’d have said so already, if she wasn’t.”

“Ain’t that the Blessed Truth?” said young woman laughed as she turned into her own neighborhood.

“But about three months after we finally got her moved down here…” He trailed off for a moment as he collected his Thoughts. “Well, let’s just say that my old band woulda been surprised that I cared less about the fact that my car’d just gotten totaled right outside my house–and before my eyes, at that.”

“Jesus Christ–what happened?” Duff asked, looking as horrified as he sounded.

“Aidan was heading out to a doctor’s appointment, and I was checking the mail before I left to head out to a flip I was working on with a friend,” the youngest bassist explained. “She’d stopped to check for any traffic like most folks do before actually backing outta the driveway. With only half my Charger really in the road, I heard sirens screaming at the other End of the street and tried to warn her–only to watch an SUV plow right into the passenger’s side of my car.”

Even Aerin couldn’t help a wince, despite already knowing what’d happened.

“Aidan’s pelvis wound up fractured, and due to the trauma, she started contracting at just six and a-half months,” Ash continued. “She was forced into an emergency C-section once they got her to the hospital, ’cuz they couldn’t stop the contractions, but they also couldn’t fix her pelvis with her pregnant.”

“Fuck a Duck–and a Monkey, too,” the blonde bassist breathed.

“Yeah, it wasn’t pretty in the slightest,” he sighed. “She barely got to hear Ember cry before they were knocking her out, then running me outta the OR to start piecing her back together.”

“Naturally, Bobby and I were already waiting in the waiting room since–somehow or another–he’d the presence of mind to call us while waiting on EMS to show up at the house,” the young woman chimed in as she pulled into her own driveway.

Duff nodded approvingly, glad to hear that he hadn’t been alone when he needed the Comfort and support of his friends the most. Now that he even knew about the youngest bassist’s daughter, let alone how she’d been _welcomed_ into the World, he was curious about how that played into the here and now. He thought he’d an idea already, but he wanted it confirmed–and without making himself look like an idiot or an ass.

As they were getting outta Aerin’s truck, he explained that–due to her orthopedic injuries–Aidan’d a lotta Days, particularly during the colder Times, that she seemed to have severe arthritis. They’d been told that that was gonna be one of the side effects once she’d been put back together and recovered, which included relearning how to walk, so they weren’t surprised. Considering how cold it was today and was no doubt gonna get by tonight, the pair who’d already known weren’t surprised that she’d ultimately decided to sit the scene out, ’cuz she was prolly eating Aleve like candy till she could take one of her painkillers at bedtime.

In lil Ember’s case, due to being born two and a-half months early, her immune system’d always been weaker than that of most kids her age. Even at pushing two and a-half now, she could get sick a lot easier than another kid in the same age group, and often did. They tried to keep her away from anyone who could possibly give her anything while not making her feel like she lived in a bubble, but it wasn’t easy.

“Granted, Auntie Aerin’s helped with that a lot,” Ash was saying as they walked into hers and Bobby’s house. “She managed to develop enough of a green thumb to start growing some shit that’d help with her immunity, and even found out where to buy a lotta it online, just in case that didn’t work out.”

“He means certain herbal remedies–or at least, the ingredients that I’d need to make ’em,” she explained when the blonde bassist looked confused. “Things like Lavender, Honeysuckle, Chamomile–they’re good for more than just relaxing, after all.”

“Really?” he asked, looking pretty intrigued.

“A couple can actually be used in anti-bacterial and anti-microbial ways like peroxide,” the young woman answered. “One of those Witchy things I’ll get into later, though, before I get Ash and I outta our playtime groove.”

“Hey, I can work with that,” Duff laughed. “’Cuz I wanna see this shit in action, if you and I are ever gonna start playing together.”

Getting into the kitchen, they saw that Bobby’d decided to get a jumpstart on dinner since he knew the pair of play partners were gonna be starving after their scene. His wife tended to overheat easily, so doing something that made that happen on a full stomach generally wasn’t the smartest of ideas. Besides, it took a while for linguine to come to perfection, no matter what kinda meat was used in it, so it was best to get an early start.

Aerin grabbed a quick kiss from him before turning to head out the back door since they’d set up their dungeon in the poolhouse. It was really the only Space that was private enough for such shenanigans that wouldn’t take up any valuable room, considering that his older kids’d been living with them when they first moved up here. She’d suggested that also on the grounds that it’d prolly never get used for anything else, anywhore, so they might as well use it for something. Given that it killed at least two Birds with one Stone, he was all for it, if that was what she’d really wanted–and it most certainly had been.

Nodding as he said that he’d join them once he’d finished what he was working on, the young woman headed out back. Ash and Duff were hot on her heels, the duffel bag once again thrown over its owner’s shoulder as he followed, already getting into a certain mindset as he did. The latter of that pair could already see the Change taking place as he seemed to turn into more of a shy lil boy, but not quite like he would, if he were going into something called _Lil Space_.

In the poolhouse, the blonde looked around in Awe while he headed to the lone bedroom out here to set his bag down and get himself well and truly prepared. There was a two-by-four bolted into the wall of what woulda been the living room before the renovations that’d been done. Against the wall next to it, there was what any half-decent player knew as a St. Andrew’s Cross, its base keeping it pulled just far enough away from said wall to avoid knocking a hole in it. Various other waysta bind someone were scattered throughout the room–even the eye bolts in the ceiling–and there was also a massage table. What on Earth they used it for when it came to their play, Duff couldn’t be sure, but he was pretty sure he’d find out soon enough.

“He might be a Switch just as much as me, but Ash usually takes a lil longer to get into a subbie mindset,” Aerin said as she started setting up her End of the scene.

“I dunno–he seemed like he was already slipping into it as we were walking out here,” the blonde bassist told her as he settled on a couch set up for anyone watching.

“That was him settling into a bratty mindset,” she laughed. “Looked like he mighta been going into _Lil Space,_ right?”

“Yeah, actually–that’s exactly how I woulda pegged it,” Duff admitted.

“That’s how he gets when he’s not in a true subbie mood–yet,” the young woman explained. “If I start wailing on him like that, he’ll turn into a total brat on me. And since I don’t feel like putting up with that right now, it’s best to give him a few minutes.”

“Just shows you’re a good Domme, and that you’ve paid attention to your sub like ya should,” he chuckled.

Aerin couldn’t help beaming proudly at such praise from a much more experienced Lifestyler.

“And that just shows me the sub hiding in _you,”_ the blonde bassist laughed. “They all react proudly to some extent when praised.”

“Too well I know it,” she agreed with a laugh of her own. “But I’ma Switch with more of a subbie streak, so I’m not surprised by that.”

Duff was the one who seemed a bit surprised, if only by learning that much about his potential new play partner’s kinky side.

“But that’s part of what makes Ash and I click in this Lifestyle,” the young woman told him. “He’s more of a Dom, I’m more of a sub, but we can still switch the rolesta keep shit spiced up whenever we feel the need for it.”

“Well, I can safely say that I’m strictly a Dom,” he said. “I’ve tried subbing, and I just can’t get into it.”

Nodding since that was a good thing to know about him, Aerin turned her attention to the bedroom door when it opened. Moments later, the youngest bassist stepped out wearing nothing but the collar he only wore when they were having private scenes, or going to one of the play parties in the area while in a subbie mood. Every tattoo he’d ever gotten was on full display, especially the prominent _Outlaw_ that arched over his navel much like Tommy Lee’s _Mayhem_ tattoo and DJ Ashba’s _Havoc_ tattoo. Even the Stars scattered from the tops of his shoulders down to his tailbone were on full display, as long as his back was turned to them like it’d be once he was restrained.

The blonde bassist watched as Ash dropped down to his knees in the Center of the room, legs spread enough to hint at his crotch without leaving everything wide open to whoever wanted to view it. His head was bowed as if he were praying, but his hands were flipped palm-up and resting on the tops of his thighs. Clearly, this was his typical submissive pose with his Domme, if the approving look on her face as she watched him kneel there for a few moments was anything to judge by.

A gentle finger under his chin was all it took to make him look up, and it was only then that one set of Chocolate eyes met the other. Duff recognized this behavior as something called _high protocol,_ which meant that he wasn’t gonna do anything he wasn’t told to, nor was he gonna respond to anyone else. Even Aidan coulda walked in and called his name, which normally woulda made him respond to her, but he wouldn’t in this case. His complete and utter focus was on the young woman before him, who was scrutinizing and judging even when he blinked.

Bobbing her head in a single nod of approval, Aerin ignored the main door of the poolhouse opening, then closing just as quietly as she turned for a certain cabinet. Even as her own husband joined them and settled on the couch next to his slightly younger counterpart, she ignored all but her sub. That was another mark of a good Domme, though, and it spoke volumes about her well knowing what she was doing at the moment.

Turning back to said sub with a coil of rope in her hands, she started to unwind it and get it stretched out for use. Bobby only reached forward to take one End of it so he could help her stretch it out since it was easier to do that way, but he never said a word. It was obvious that he wasn’t under high protocol since he technically wasn’t part of the scene, but he was also trying not to disrupt the headspaces the pair were in. He clearly knew enough to know what was acceptable and what wasn’t during a scene, which surprised Duff a bit, but maybe he shouldn’t have been. As he watched her start tying the rope around the youngest bassist’s wrists a certain way, he forced himself to remember that they’d been doing this for a few Years now, so they weren’t novices by any means.

Once she’d tied the single-column cuffs around his wrists, the young woman bade Ash to move so he was settled on his ass, legs stretched out in front of him. He did as he’d been bade with a single hand gesture, his head bowing as his hands Returned to their previous places atop his thighs. That was when she moved to tie an identical set of cuffs around his ankles, taking just as much care to make sure they were tight enough to avoid being pulled loose, but not so tight that they cut off circulation. With that taken care of, she extended a hand to help pull him to his feet, which was when she led him to the St. Andrew’s Cross.


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally put any kinda warnings on my works, but I'ma say this now... If you've heeded the rating of _Explicit,_ then you've technically been warned that some dirty shit was gonna go down at some point in this story. If not, then it's your own fault if ya don't heed _this_ warning not to read this particular chapter, if you're sensitive to _alternative sexual practices._  
>  ~Firefly

Before she actually tied him to the cross she’d led him to, Aerin made the man submitting to her drop to one knee in front of her as if he was proposing. He knew why she did that without even having to ask, and therefore break the high protocol he was under–unless he wanted to earn a harder flogging as punishment, that is. Whether for safety’s sake or not, no one she’d ever seen flog another sub’d left the sub’s hair unbound during their scene, and she was no different. She always made sure his hair was tied up, no matter how aggravating it was to do such a thing, as choppy and layered as he always kept those black tresses.

Once his hair was tied up enough to stay outta her way–which also served another purpose, considering how tight she’d to tie it off–the young woman turned him toward the cross. Ash obediently stepped up onto the platform at its foot, his feet automatically planting themselves at about shoulder’s-width apart. He didn’t try to raise his arms till she’d stepped on the step stool next to him, and that was only so she could tie them to the top of the _X_ the cross made.

Duff watched in fascination as she made sure the rope was tied tight enough that he wouldn’t be able to free himself simply by jerking on it, but she’d be able to free him easily enough later. She paused between restraining each limb to make sure she hadn’t positioned them in such a way that was gonna hurt him, then moved on to the next till she’d restrained all four limbs.

The older bassists watched their youngest counterpart take a deep breath, obviously to steady his nerves, as Aerin moved to the cabinet next to the one where she’d grabbed the rope from. Even if they’d played before, he was no doubt a lil nervous–Bobby’d said on the phone while they were planning this scene that this was the first Time they’d ever had witnesses. Not even the Silver Fox’d gotten to watch a scene before without accidentally walking in on it, which’d Ended it abruptly when Ash called out his strongest safe word. Getting to watch from Beginning to End for once was a completely different Dragon, and no doubt to make both of the players a lil nervous.

“Suede, leather, or chain–how much can my lil Phoenix take in pain?” the young woman practically sing-songed as she opened the cabinet she’d moved in front of.

The blonde bassist’s eyes widened in shock as he prayed she didn’t actually have a chain flogger–and that if she _did,_ it was just for show.

“Leather and yarn,” Ash responded, not even turning his head in the slightest.

_CRACK!_ She landed a blow across the right side of his ass that was no doubt gonna leave a handprint within just a few minutes. “What was that, pet?”

The youngest bassist let out a yelp that sounded eerily reminiscent of a puppy getting kicked in the ribs as he bucked so hard, he practically humped the cross he was tied to. “Leather and yarn, _Mistress!”_ he cried.

“Good boy–that’s more like it,” Aerin praised him, gently Soothing his reddened, no doubt stinging flesh with her hand.

He sighed in what almost sounded like a content tone as she moved her hand to the other side of his ass.

“Ya know I gotta even ya out now,” the young woman warned him.

“Yes, Mistress,” Ash said, bracing himself for the coming blow as much as he could.

_CRACK!_ She landed an equally hard blow across the left side of his ass, although he didn’t yelp and jump this Time since he was expecting it. “Good boy.”

_“Mmm_ –thank ya, Mistress,” the youngest bassist veritably moaned.

“Now, my lil Phoenix–safe words and limits?” Aerin asked, having grabbed the floggers she needed outta their cabinet.

“Same as always, Mistress,” he answered.

Turning to the other two bassists Silently watching from the couch, the young woman explained that he meant pretty much everything was fair game unless it was an obvious _Red Zone,_ such as his spine. Chosen safe words in this case were the Italian translations of _White, Gray,_ and _Black,_ which she’d been using when they met. They referred to the three most basic forms of magick in the Pagan World, and served kinda the same purpose as the Colors of a stoplight for them.

Nodding, Duff gestured for her not to let their presence stop her more than necessary, and she Returned the nod as she turned back to her waiting sub. He watched with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze as she started running one of the leather floggers up and down the youngest bassist’s back from his shouldersta his ass. The poor guy couldn’t help a shiver, and he couldn’t tell if that was from anticipation, ’cuz the leather was cold, or both.

Aerin’d set what she called her _Flogging Time_ playlist to start after putting it on shuffle before she’d even bothered with warming him up. When he least expected it since it immediately started playing the very first song in the list–Mr. Big’s _Alive and Kickin’_ –despite being on shuffle, she let him have a good lick across the tops of his shoulders. He let out a howl at the sudden sting that he knew would only get worse once she switched floggers, which wouldn’t happen till he begged for it, but didn’t bother with any of their safe words. That was how the more experienced bassist knew that he was fine as he and Bobby both watched, the young woman easily keeping up with the beat of the song.

It wasn’t long before she snagged the second leather flogger she’d pulled outta the cabinet, surprising both older bassists when she almost immediately caught a rhythm to a song called _Freak Like Me_ when it started. The pattern she caught that beat to was called a _Flourentine pattern,_ and it was one of the hardest to manage for just about anyone. Being able to do it to a song whose beat involved a lotta triplets in its beat was an even bigger feat that just showed how much she’d practiced it. Whether on her current sub or a training dummy, she’d have needed a lotta practice to avoid losing her rhythm, or accidentally hitting a _Red Zone_.

_“Yarn,_ Mistress!” Ash finally screamed.

“Ready for more, huh?” the young woman chuckled, her voice holding a bit of a sultry, yet completely sadistic note.

“Yes, Mistress,” he panted, wincing in pained pleasure as she gently rubbed his back as she gave him a few momentsta recover.

“Ya know the rules–lemme know when you’ve had enough, and we’ll move on,” Aerin told him.

_“Black_ on my balls, Mistress,” the youngest bassist responded. “At least, for this.”

“’Cuz ya know they’ll be sore enough later, huh?” she chuckled.

“Yes, Mistress,” Ash answered, nodding slightly.

The older bassists who were still Silently watching shot each other a look as they wondered why on Earth he’d use his strongest safe word on anything to do with his balls now, but not later.

“Good boy,” the young woman praised him as she took her place behind him again.

Bobby and Duff watched as she traded out the leather floggers she’d been using for a pair that looked like they’d been made with some kinda string. However, it wasn’t just any string that the flies were made outta–these were made outta some of the Cotton yarn that she often used in her crocheting projects. Now his telling her to use yarn made more sense, but they weren’t quite sure as to the purpose of using this particular material to make a toy with.

Aerin grinned downright sadistically as she ran the flies up and down his back again, watching him shiver in what she knew was anticipation. It wasn’t very often that he wanted to go the stingy route with his beatings–he generally preferred thuddy, even when they left bruises. When he wanted stingy for any part of a scene, she knew he was feeling particularly masochistic, and she was more than willing to oblige him.

The first lick she gave him as Aerosmith’s _Love in an Elevator_ started up made Ash veritably shriek and climb the cross he was tied to. No doubt it stung like a bitch, much like when his grampa’d worn his ass out with a belt as a kid–which was prolly one of the reasons he generally didn’t like stingy beatings. Each and every lick she gave him as the song wore on and soon melded into _Spellbound_ by Lacuna Coil made him scream, cry out, beg, plead, and practically dance for her. He seemed to go particularly insane–in a good way, of course–when she zeroed in on his ass and thighs, keeping her focus there as she continued to beat him silly. When she’d said something about beating his ass upon picking him up, she’d apparently meant it quite literally.

It wasn’t much longer after that that the youngest bassist shrieked _Nero!_ at the top of his lungs, and Duff watched as she essentially screeched to a halt. She’d been forced to give him one last blow since she’d already flung the flogger in her right hand out, but the blow she’d been gearing up for with her left hand halted in midair. Laying the floggers down across the arm of a chair next to her, Aerin stepped up on the platform of the cross with him, gently pulling his head up by his ponytail as she looked him in the eye. He actually whimpered at her this Time, and even from across the room, the blonde could tell he’d had enough of the flogging.

“All right, all right, my lil Phoenix,” she said, reaching up to untie his left arm. Pulling on the End of the slip-knot she’d tied, the rope came loose without any hesitation.

Ash whimpered again as his arm fell limply by his side, his head resting against the arm of the cross it’d been tied to as she dropped down to untie his left leg.

“Just breathe,” the young woman told him, her tone now gentle and Soothing, whereas five minutes ago, it’d been gleeful and drenched in sadism.

_“Mmmm,”_ he hummed as she moved to untie his right limbs. “Th-Thank ya, M-Mistress.”

“You’re very welcome, my lil Phoenix,” Aerin said, waiting till he was ready to help him step down from that lil platform.

The youngest bassist was already pretty outta it, judging by how much his eyes’d glazed over, and no doubt he was shaky as hell.

“Watch your step,” she warned him, knowing she wouldn’t be able to catch him, if he started going down.

“Yes, Mistress,” Ash murmured, carefully shuffling backward till his legs hit the edge of a strategically-placed arm chair.

“Howddaya wanna continue–or do ya just wanna call it quits here?” the young woman asked as she knelt down in front of him.

“Zipper, Mistress,” he answered.

“Oh, ho–feeling like quite the masochist tonight, are we?” Aerin laughed.

“Yes, Mistress,” the youngest bassist answered, nodding vigorously. “Need to cum, and only pain’s gonna do it tonight.”

Even Duff’s eyes widened as he shot another look at the Silver Fox, who looked equally surprised, since it wasn’t very often that a sub _wanted_ to be tormented into orgasm like that.

“Lemme get set up for it, then we’ll getcha on the table, my lil Phoenix,” the young woman told him. She grabbed the front of his collar and hauled him forward, leaning down as she did so.

Ash couldn’t seem to help his tired smile, nor the content sigh he let out as she surprised them by pressing her lips to his forehead.

“She only ever does that with me,” Bobby said almost under his breath.

“It’s prolly meant to be Grounding in this case, then,” the blonde bassist responded just as quietly. “If he’s floating as hard as I think he is, he needs it.”

He shot his musical counterpart an inquisitive look, considering that he’d only been hit with _Sex magick_ in the Past, not had a full-on scene like this.

As Aerin moved to hang all of her floggers up properly, Duff explained that going into subspace’d make a sub feel like–well, like they were floating. The deeper they went into that headspace, the less verbal they’d be, and therefore the less ability they’d have to vocalize their wants and needs. High protocol didn’t mean shit, if they lacked the cognitive function to tell their Top what they wanted or needed, which was why she’d been pausing between songsta check in with him.

The Silver Fox nodded as she pulled out her next implement of torture, which surprised him when he realized it was a fuck-ton of clothes pins strung together. He wasn’t too sure what the hell his wife Intended to do to Ash with them, but he _was_ sure of one thing–whatever it was, she’d never do it to _him_. If there was anything he’d to call _Red_ –or in this case, _Nero_ –on, it’d be whatever she was about to do with those clothes pins.

With said clothes pins laid out in the floor so they were as straight as the rope once it’d been uncoiled, the young woman moved to get her sub on the massage table. As she got him stretched out on his already-stinging back–which made him wince as he settled as comfortably as he could–there was no missing that he was hard as a rock. The poor guy was no doubt well on his way to blue balls, if something wasn’t done to get him off, but no matter how hard he twitched and throbbed, he didn’t seem inclined to service himself. Maybe it was ’cuz part of his high protocol was that he wasn’t allowed to, maybe it was ’cuz he simply knew that it wouldn’t work tonight.

Once he was settled and had given her a nod to let her know he was ready, Aerin grabbed the string of clothes pins by the first one at one of its Ends. Grinning sadistically as she straightened, she moved a bit closer to the massage table and her target so she wouldn’t have to lean as far. Said target let out a yelp as that first clothes pin clamped down on his right nipple, making the other pair of bassists jump as they watched her continue. After that first clothes pin was firmly attached, she moved to practically draw an elaborate design down his torso that wound around his cock and balls, then back up the other side to End at his left nipple.

_“Argh,”_ Ash groaned as that last clothes pin clamped into place.

“Where’re we at, my lil Phoenix?” the young woman asked.

_“Blanco_ – _molto Blanco,_ Mistress,” he answered without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“Good boy,” Aerin chuckled, giving him a minute.

The youngest bassist simply laid there, taking several deep breaths before he finally held his breath as he nodded at her again.

“Ya sure you’re ready, pet?” she asked.

“Yes, Mistress–give it to me,” Ash veritably begged.

Grinning at him again, the young woman grabbed the loose string hanging from the clothes pin on his right nipple.

_“Ahhhh!”_ he screamed, arching and thrashing in obvious pain as she yanked it, which started pulling the clothes pins back off at an almost head-spinning pace.

_“Holy fuck,”_ Duff and Bobby breathed in unison as they watched in shock as she even had to start walking backward toward the small kitchen to avoid stopping mid-removal.

_“Holy Goddess_ – _fuck me!”_ the youngest bassist screamed, bucking his hips as they started coming off his junk.

Aerin simply continued grinning and pulling the clothes pins off him, letting out what could only be called a sadistic cackle as the last one on the head of his cock coming off set off his desperately-needed orgasm.

“Sweet Goddess alive,” the Silver Fox breathed as they watched him writhe in agonized pleasure.

“Jesus Christ,” his blonde counterpart agreed. “She’s definitely a sadistic one when she wantsta be.”

By the Time that last clothes pin’d come off his left nipple, Ash was whimpering with that agonized pleasure as he collapsed against the massage table he lay on. He couldn’t open his eyes unless he wanted a different kinda pain, ’cuz he’d gotten off so hard that he’d shot his load across not just his chest and belly, but his own face, too. That had to’ve been part of the reason why she’d started walking backward to keep pulling the string of clothes pins off, rather than just rolling them up as they came off. No doubt she hadn’t wanted to get hit in the face with any of his load once he’d started cumming, and she’d known this was gonna happen.

Laughing softly as she started rolling up that string so the clothes pins wouldn’t get damaged, Aerin asked him once again where they were at. It took him a few moments and a few panted breaths, but the youngest bassist finally moaned the word _Blanco,_ meaning he was good to go. Considering how hard she’d pushed him, and how hard he’d just gotten off, she wasn’t very surprised that it’d taken him a few momentsta respond.

Since he’d now achieved his main goal of just about any scene he bottomed for, the young woman knew it was Time to move on to his after care. Before she did that, though, she untied those single column cuffs from his wrists and ankles, pausing long enough to roll up each length of rope properly in between. Once that was taken care of and the coils were back in their cabinet, she moved to a third one and pulled out a bottle even Bobby’d never seen.

“Just relax, my lil Phoenix,” she said, her tone back to gentle and Soothing now.

_“Mmm_ –yes, Mistress,” Ash hummed, gasping at a sudden chill on his chest.

The young woman laughed softly as she wiped away the evidence of his pleasure, then grabbed another baby wipe to tackle his face with.

“Thank ya, Mistress,” he said, finally able to open his eyes at least halfway.

“You’re very welcome, pet,” Aerin told him, popping open the lid on that bottle.

The youngest bassist let out another gasp as she squirted part of its contents on his upper chest, that gasp turning into a pleasured moan and a sigh moments later.

“That’s it–just relax, and let Mistress take care of ya now,” she told him, her voice taking on a more hypnotic tone.

_“Mmmm,”_ Ash moaned, simply nodding as she started rubbing that lotion into his chest and belly.

Duff and Bobby continued watching as she worked on the task at hand, the motions of _her_ hands clearly damn near putting him to sleep. They weren’t surprised when she was careful to avoid touching his crotch unless she absolutely had to, for which there wasn’t a necessity this Time. After all, while she mighta just tortured his junk till he came, that didn’t mean either of them wanted her touching him so intimately now.

While they were waiting for the lotion she’d been massaging into his front to soak in enough for him to roll over, the youngest bassist took care of rubbing it into his own crotch. His motions were lazy and relaxed, almost looking like Zep did when he was sleepy and playing with himself as he drifted off. This part of the scene was crucial to getting his head back on straight earlier, but clearly, there were still some limitsta be respected. Whether that’d anything to do with their Romantic relationships, or simply due to personal boundaries, the older men couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t exactly matter.

After giving him a few minutesta allow the lotion to soak in, Aerin helped him sit up so he could roll onto his front without rolling off the table and onto the floor. She might be a sadistic lil bitch when she felt like it, but since the aim _wasn’t_ to cause pain, but rather Soothe it right now, she didn’t want him accidentally hurting himself. Once he was settled on his front, head turned to the side so he could still breathe, she squirted part of that lotion across his upper back and shoulders.

The heavy, relaxed sigh that Ash let out as she put those magick handsta use on his back was almost enough to put his older counterpartsta sleep. Neither could help a soft chuckle as they watched him practically turn into a puddle of goo on that massage table, Bobby already knowing just how magickal his wife’s hands really were. She’d never given him a massage after a scene for obvious reasons, but the few Times she’d given him a massage when his neck started acting up–well, he was usually knocked out within a few minutes. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the youngest bassist was struggling to stay awake by the Time she’d worked her way down his back to his ass and thighs, considering what he’d just gone through. All in all, it was certainly an Enlightening moment for those who’d never witnessed this kinda thing before now.

Once she’d finished up the massage and put away the lotion she’d been using, Aerin left her sub to relax for a few more minutes before trying to help him up. He was no doubt gonna be pretty sore in the Morn, and he was gonna be pretty loopy, but that was relatively typical after their scenes when he bottomed. All it’d take to get his head back on straight was this massage and a Night of cuddles–most likely nekkid cuddles, knowing him–and he’d be right as Rain again. In fact, she knew as she helped him up so he could go get dressed that Ash’d be even better than that once he came outta subspace. She just didn’t know exactly how long that’d take this Time, but the good thing was that he was in good hands with her, and even Aidan knew that.


	10. Ten

Back in the main house, Aerin wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that the youngest bassist’d stripped again almost as soon as he’d walked in the door. Part of his typical after care was nekkid cuddles while wrapped up in his favorite fuzzy blanket, but she was the only one he’d cuddle with after a scene. The fact that he’d wanted her just as nekkid wasn’t the slightest bit disturbing to her, although her husband was certainly a bit perturbed by it. Bobby wasn’t quite sure what to make of that since she’d never cuddled with anyone but him like that while they were together that he was aware of.

Even as she got them settled on the couch so that they were both nekkid and wrapped up in that massive, King-size blanket, the young woman laughed at the look on her husband’s face. It took her a few momentsta Calm down enough to talk as Ash buried his face in her bare cleavage much like Zep did when he snuggled with her while she was wearing a tank top.

The purpose of cuddling like this right now wasn’t the same as after a sexual escapade with the older bassist by any means. No, at the moment, his younger counterpart needed some serious Grounding with as few barriers as possible, and that even included clothing. His burying his face in her cleavage like he did wasn’t meant to be intimate, either, since he wasn’t interested in her like that and vice versa. That action was more akin to like when their son did it while he was fighting sleep before he ultimately gave in and passed out against her for the Night. Ash was looking for Comfort and Security the same way a young child would, even though he wasn’t what one’d call regressed, not trying to start anything sexual.

As he thought about it like that, the Silver Fox couldn’t say that that reasoning didn’t make a lick of senseta him, ’cuz it damn well did. Even Duff chuckled as he admitted to having seen plenty of subs do that before, and even had a few who wanted that kinda thing from him after a scene when he was still active in the Lifestyle. Not every sub did that, though, ’cuz not every sub needed the same kinda after care–some just wanted to be left alone to wrap up in their favorite blanket and come down from their high on their own.

“Ash and I are the type that we need these nekkid cuddlesta get our heads on straight again, though,” Aerin told them. “Trust me when I say we’re like a basket case gone off our meds, if we don’t get ’em, me in particular.”

“Damn, really?” the blonde bassist asked curiously, watching as she rubbed his bare back under that blanket.

“Found out the hard way one Time long before I met Ash,” she answered, nodding. “That’s why I was dubious as hell about playing with even him once we met and found out that we were both into kink.”

“Yikes, that had to’ve sucked,” Duff winced.

“Made my pre-existing Trust issues even worse,” the young woman told him. “Which bled over into even a vanilla Life.”

“Oh, no doubt about it,” he agreed, nodding. “I’ve seen the same thing happen to other subs, too.”

“So, _that’s_ why ya acted like ya didn’t trust me at first,” Bobby mused, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Exactly.” His wife nodded again, herself. “It wasn’t ’cuz I thoughtcha were an inherently untrustworthy person, but ’cuz I’ve had my Trust broken by folks I thought I could Trust before–and in ways they never shoulda broken it. Being an Air Witch on top of it doesn’t help that.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” the blonde bassist asked curiously.

“Well, Air Witches’re known for being highly Creative, awesome cheerleaders for those they care about, protective as all fuck, etc.,” Aerin started. “But they’re also known for being claustrophobic a lotta Times–which ain’t really the case with me unless we’re talking about flying somewhere–and turning their backs on someone without a second Thought, if their Trust’s broken by that person.”

“Which she’s done before, ’cuz I’ve seen her do it,” her husband admitted. “She did it when she ran away from North Carolina, and then again when her mother crashed our handfasting reception.”

“And we usually don’t give second chances, either,” she continued. “We might say we’re gonna try to, but it’s very rare that we can actually do it.”

“Which means you’re not gonna play with or fuck just anyone,” Duff said. “You’re gonna make the person–especially a guy–work for that.”

“Exactly,” the young woman agreed. “It’s kinda like a male in the Animal Kingdom earning his right to mate by fighting off a weaker male. You’ve to earn that right with me by proving yourself and then some, or you’re not getting that right–and that goes for playing as much as fuckin’.”

Nodding, he could totally understand what she meant based on his own personal experiences with a few others who were of the same mindset. It was only smart of her to be sure of who she was playing with before she ever went that far, ’cuz not everybody was the _ethical asshole_ he described himself as. While he might beat her as utterly silly as she’d beaten Ash for as long as she wanted it, there might be another who did that _and_ tried to penetrate her, even when she said she didn’t want such a thing as part of the scene.

It wasn’t long before Aerin decided it was prolly best to get said youngest bassist up to the guest room to get some rest. He was nearly asleep on her, and even stretching out on the couch wouldn’t be very comfortable, if she let him pass out entirely. She’d never gotten along well with couches, and this one wasn’t long enough for a roughly six-foot-tall human to stretch out on without winding up with a crick somewhere by Morn.

Bobby and Duff moved to help him up once she’d gotten him to regain enough consciousnessta move, which of course made him unhappy. The only way he’d agree to get up and go upstairs was if he still got his cuddles once he was settled in the guest room, which was a bit on the abnormal side. Maybe she’d pushed him a bit too hard tonight, or maybe there was something going on between him and Aidan–or maybe a _lack_ of something, for that matter–but he didn’t normally make such a _request_. After a short, almost telepathic conversation, the Silver Fox simply nodded as they got him up to his feet so they could take him upstairs. He wouldn’t like sleeping alone for the Night, but he’d do it, if it meant getting the youngest man’s head on straight again.

Once he was settled in the guest bed, Aerin headed to the master suite just long enough to grab the previous Night’s PJs. She really wanted to grab a shower after the sweat she’d worked up during that scene, but he just wasn’t awake enough to drag him into the shower with her. There wasn’t any point in putting on clean clothes without showering first, especially if she was gonna wind up crawling into bed with a guy who was in just as desperate need of a shower. Luckily, Ash didn’t seem to notice her leaving just long enough to change, only humming softly as she crawled into bed with him a few minutes later.

It took about a week for the youngest bassist to get his head on straight again, which wasn’t surprising to the young woman who’d Topped him. Even the blonde bassist wasn’t surprised by that, considering how long he’d been into the Lifestyle before she was even born. As loopy and outta it as he’d seemed while they were getting him settled into bed after their short chat, he’d honestly thought it’d take closer to two weeks till they reached this point.

The almost never-Ending cuddles Aerin gave him nearly twenty-four/seven that week were prolly a big part of what’d helped get him straightened out again so quick, given his state that Night. Bobby was just glad to get his wife back at Night after two Nights of sleeping alone, which was when the youngest bassist’d finally gotten straightened out enough to sleep by himself. Said Silver Fox was missing getting to snuggle up to her delicious lil rump, even make a Truth outta that old Poison lyric she loved so much when he woke up horny in the middle of the Night. If he’d to name any one particular thing that’d been driving him the craziest, it’d have to be that latter thing since the _Five Finger Olympics_ just weren’t appealing to him anymore.

Aidan was also glad to finally be getting her man back, ’cuz she’d more or less been in Bobby’s shoes with the not liking sleeping alone. She’d known it was for the best, if she didn’t wanna see her man wind up in a nuthouse and drugged for the rest of his Life, though, so she’d tolerated it. Getting him back sane and in one piece was more important to her than how long it took to achieve that, just like it was to the others.

On the sixth Morn after the young woman’d effectively stolen Ash for the week, they were finishing up breakfast so she could take him home when she started to get a weird feeling. The rest of Poison’d shown up earlier in the week since they were still friends with her and the oldest bassist, despite his having quit the band so suddenly. She knew damn good and well she wasn’t sensing any of their presences outside since she could see all of them, but she _was_ sensing multiple presences–and she wasn’t liking it. Considering they were scattered all around the house, she was starting to feel caged and threatened, and that was never good with her.

“Ya all right, sugar?” Ash asked, cocking a brow at her. Other than her husband, he knew her the best and could always sense her shifts in mood.

“Something’s not right,” she answered, glancing toward the back patio yet again.

“It feels like–like there’s people here who shouldn’t be,” the Silver Fox said, the hair on even _his_ arms starting to stand straight up.

Being a ballsy lil bitch when she wanted to be, Aerin grabbed her shotgun from over the built-in to the left of the fireplace. “Well, they’re about to get scared straight.”

“Oh, fuckin’-A,” Rikki breathed from where he sat with Bret and CC at the island.

“Shit’s never good when she busts out the boom-stick,” Richie sighed.

“Then she’s not going out there alone,” the blonde bassist said as he rose from his own seat. “And I don’t care if anyone else comes with us or not.”

“Might as well join ya,” the blonde drummer told him. “We’re the only ones skilled in martial Arts, unless I’m mistaken. No one’s kicking _our_ asses without some kinda weapon unless we let them.”

Nodding, Duff caught the young woman’s shoulder and gestured toward the left side of the back yard in a Silent declaration that he was going out front and cutting around that way. Rikki gestured toward the other side, meaning that he was following the slightly taller man’s lead, but wrapping around from the opposite Direction. That’d pretty much make anyone who was currently trespassing lose any ability to escape that they thought they’d had, what with three of them coming after them at the least.

Aerin nodded her agreement as she opened the back door and stepped out, the other pair heading toward the foyer. She completely missed Bret heading out with Rikki, Bobby hot on his blonde counterpart’s heels, as she scoped out her surroundings. Waiting till she knew the other two she was aware of being outside woulda gotten around the sides of the house, she finally called out in a steady voice that belied her half-frayed nerves.

“I dunno who’s out here, but fuckin’ show yourselves, or the sheriff can come collect your corpses,” the young woman snapped.

There was a rustling in the bushes on either side of the poolhouse before two bodies stepped out, and once she got a good look at their faces, she knew exactly who they were.

“Well, who woulda thought the Two Js’d wind up on _my_ property?” Aerin drawled, shotgun still at the ready.

“Wait, ya know who we are?” the slightly shorter man asked. Both their hands were held up in surrender.

“I know _exactly_ who ya are,” she retorted. “As well as at least two others that’re likely with ya.”

“Fuck,” she heard the slightly taller one hiss. “I told him this was a bad idea.”

Before the young woman could respond, they heard a voice so deep, it could only been described as demonic ring out in a pained cry from Duff’s side of the house.

“I warnedja not to mess with me, brat!” said blonde snapped, his voice slightly muffled from being around the side of the house.

“Got one over here, too!” Rikki called, a yelp following seconds later.

“Bring the assholes on around here, then,” Aerin called back. “I’m kinda curious as to why they’re here, and they’re lucky I’m not in a _shoot first, ask questions later_ kinda mood.”

Calling out their assent, the blonde martial artists were marching their _prey_ around the sides of the house only mere moments later. There was only an inch or so separating Duff and his catch, whom she’d have liked to’ve shot on sight, if she were honest with at least herself. Rikki pinned the arms of the next tallest behind his back much like the other blonde was doing to his friend, both wearing veritably homicidal expressions.

She wasn’t surprised to hear the door open behind her, the rest of Poison and Zach coming out as Aidan and Zoe got the twinsta safety. Hearing a lone shocked gasp ring out behind her wasn’t surprising, either, and she knew who’d let out that gasp without having to turn in the slightest. Considering who the four idiots being detained in her back yard were, she knew damn good and well Ash recognized them as well as she did. Whether anyone else except maybe the lone ginger of their group recognized them or not was a trivial matter, as far as she was concerned.

“The hell’re _y’all_ doing here?”


	11. Eleven

Aerin wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear Ash blurt out the one question that was no doubt on the minds of everybody who recognized the detained quartet before them. In fact, she purposely hadn’t asked it herself just so he’d have the chanceta do it on his own, considering why they were no doubt here. After all, she wasn’t a stupid woman by any means–if it’d been anyone else, she wouldn’t already have an idea, but given the identities of these men…

“We’re here ’cuz we want our bassist back,” the tallest detainee answered, that demonically-deep voice all too recognizable.

“Andja thought fuckin’ _stalking me_ was the way to do it?” Ash snapped. “Andy, you’re a bigger moron than I ever woulda thoughtcha were!”

“Wait, ya know these fuckers?” Rikki looked surprised as he continued pinning the next tallest one’s arms behind his back, but thankfully didn’t lose his grip.

“Yeah, I know these idiots–and so do Aerin and Aidan,” he answered. “Well, they dunno ’em personally like I do, but they know ’em on sight, and that’s close enough for me right now.”

“Oh, I know all I need to about ’em,” the younger woman drawled. She still hadn’t put her shotgun down, and only him pushing down on the barrel made her put it down now.

“We’ll just beat the fuck outta them, if need be,” the youngest bassist told her. “We’ve enough numbers that we shouldn’t need weaponry, if they’re stupid enough to throw a punch.”

“As MiLord Wishes,” Aerin chuckled, setting her shotgun aside.

The pair she’d more or less had it trained on from across the pool relaxed marginally, but even the blindest of them could tell they still had their guards up.

“Now, I’d suggest even Jake and Jinxx get their asses over here, or I’ll make sure their bodies’re never found,” she growled, putting the youngest of their group to shame.

Said pair of guitarists didn’t hesitate to scurry around either side of the pool, their hands still somewhat raised in a gesture of surrender. If anyone was gonna cause trouble, it was Andy, ’cuz he was the one who was most in need of a flogging–but not for any kinda pleasure. He just didn’t know when to shut his mouth and let anyone else get a word in edgewise, but that kinda shit wasn’t gonna happen on her property.

Once the pair’d joined their physically-detained friends, the young woman locked eyes with a pair that were every bit as blue as Bret’s. If he thought he was gonna scare her with that laser-intense gaze, he’d another thing coming, and she knew that Aidan felt the same. The ginger already hadn’t liked him when her boyfriend started dropping hints about his exit from the band online, but once she’d found out the full Truth after meeting him personally–well, saying it was like pouring kerosene on a campfire woulda been an understatement. She’d wanted to fly out to California and rip his guts out his ass, through his navel once she’d pulled them through his back, and up through each ear and eye socket like garland wound through the branches of a _Yule_ Tree.

Andy actually tried to take a step back from the nearly-black gaze of the pipsqueak staring him down, but the body behind him stopped him. There was something about this woman that actually scared him enough to wanna piss himself, and he wasn’t too sure he wanted to know what it was. He’d never met anyone else–not even another man–who scared him that much, but he wasn’t about to show his Fear. Showing Fear was just gonna give her the perfect opportunity and excuseta pounce, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Seeing his best friend looking like he wanted to step forward and fight, but like he wanted to hide behind this pipsqueak bitch at the same Time was something he’d never thought he’d see, either. Ashley’d never been the kinda guy to back down from a fight, especially when he was drunk, and that went for verbal as much as physical. What all’d Changed in the last few Years, and so drastically that it was almost like looking at a completely different person? He wanted to know, and he wasn’t about to leave here without answers–once he was free of this other giant’s hold, that is.

“Like I said before, we want our bassist back,” Andy repeated, stealthily trying to claw at the hands binding his own.

“Do that again, and I’ll break your wrists one bone at a Time, brat,” the blonde who was restraining him growled in his ear. His growl wasn’t nearly as terrifying since his voice was so much higher, but it was somehow every bit as threatening.

“Andy, for God’s sake–quit being a fuckin’ dumbass before ya get us killed!” the one Rikki was detaining snapped. “I dunno what this guy’s into, but I’ll be lucky to hold a drumstick again after this, as it is!”

“Brazilian _Jiu-Jitsu,_ kid,” the blonde drummer chuckled Darkly. “So, you’re very wise _not_ to push my buttons.”

“This one’d be wiseta quit pushing mine,” Duff declared, making him yelp–as much as he could, considering the depth of his voice, that is. “’Cuz it’s _Ukidokan_ for me–and I kinda like being kicked in the head sometimes.”

Jake and Jinxx stared at him in shock, wondering just how crazy he was, if he was admitting that.

“They’re not the ones I’d be scared of, if I were y’all,” the young woman staring down their blue-eyed friend drawled. “I’d be more scared of me, maybe even Aidan.”

“Do we even wanna know?” Jinxx asked.

“Let’s just say that with all the Tennessean blood in my veins and living here for the past few Years, I don’t fight clean.” Aerin simply grinned maliciously at them. “And Aidan’s even more reason to wanna fight for Ash than I do.”

Both guitarists looked ready to shit themselves more than Andy did, their knees visibly shaking at this point.

“I’m not scared of a pipsqueak like you, no matter how clean or dirty ya fight,” he declared.

“Dude, you’re already treading hot Water,” CC told him. “Do ya really want her to turn up the heat and make it boil your stupid skin off? ’Cuz I’m rather attached to _mine,_ and it’s rather attached to _me.”_

“Kid, considering that I once watched her lay Rikki out cold with a blow meant for me–and he’s a fuckin’ black belt–I’d shut my mouth before ya piss her off more than she already is,” Bret spoke up. “If she can do that to him, I don’t even wanna imagine what she can do to _you.”_

Andy finally dropped his false sense of bravado, his own knees starting to shake as he stared at the woman he’d just called a pipsqueak. Judging by the look on her face, she was much like a caged Tiger just waiting for the right Time to pounce, and if and when she did–well, it wouldn’t be pretty. Where on Earth Ashley’d met a chick like this, he couldn’t fathom, and now he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know after all. Looking into her eyes was almost like looking into the eyes of his worst childhood nightmares come to Life, to be quite honest.

Said youngest bassist finally stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down the man he’d have once called his best friend. Back when he’d first answered that Fateful Craig’s List ad and joined Black Veil Brides, he’d thought his Life was taking a turn for the good. It’d certainly done that once they’d finally gotten the band off the ground–mostly due to his previously-made contacts and artistic mind–but there’d been so much more bad to go with it. Where was the best friend he’d thought Andy was when he needed him the most, when he’d been contemplating the one thing their band was against above all else? Absolutely nowhere to be found, ’cuz whether he’d been stuck up his wife’s ass or hiding in a sewer, he wasn’t there for him.

Aerin was quick to press her hand into the Center of the youngest bassist’s lumbar, knowing he needed the utmost Strength and support right now. He’d told her countless Times before she’d even met Bobby, let alone started dating and married him, that he wanted nothing elseta do with his former band. He enjoyed getting to work on his own terms and to make Music that suited his own tastes and what he was going through at any given Time. By the Time he’d been thrown outta Black Veil Brides as much as walked away, depending on who one asked, he wasn’t getting any kinda Creative outlet from it.

“Andy, you’re fuckin’ insane, if ya think I’d even consider rejoining BVB,” he finally said, his spine straightening a bit as he fed off the Energy his friend was giving him.

The tallest and baby of his band started to say something, only to stop like he’d Intended when he held up a single hand.

“I’d just as soon join Poison full-Time, considering the offer they once made me, before I’d rejoin BVB,” Ash said. “And since I refused to join _them_ as more than a touring filler, why the hell woulda I come back to my former band?”

All the jaws of his former band mates dropped in shock.

“Wait, ya turned down an opportunity to join _Poison?”_ Jake asked. “Whether ya like them or not, why the hell wouldja do _that,_ man?”

“I’m more curious as to how he even met them,” Jinxx mused, his voice as quiet and thoughtful as it ever was.

“The long and short of it–I wanted my best friend to be happy, so I took her to one of their shows a lil over a Year after we met,” the youngest bassist explained. “One thing led to another, and before I knew it, there was a friendship that _didn’t_ revolve around sex and Music. When Bobby quit a few Years ago, their top pick was me ’cuz of that friendship–not to mention the possibility of saving themselves a migraine or five.”

Somehow, Aerin was able to hide her surprise at his declaration of her being his best friend, which was no doubt like a stake in Andy’s heart.

“My Life got so much better after I got thrown outta the band, there’s no words in either of the languages I know to cover it all,” he continued.

“And just what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Andy growled, now starting to glare at him.

“I got my Creative outlet back–not to mention more Freedom and Control over the Music that got made,” Ash told him in an even tone. “I met my best friend in one of the stupidest, most mundane ways known to man, and she Ended up accidentally introducing me to the Love of my Life.”

Again, all four of the brunettes’ jaws dropped when he wrapped his arm around the shoulders of the slightly taller, ginger woman that was glaring daggers at them.

“Ya really think I’ma give all that up to go back to a Life of misery that fed into me wanting to follow in my dad’s and grampa’s footsteps?” the youngest bassist asked. “’Cuz if y’all do, you’re crazier than I am–and let’s face it, between having to go to therapy and now needing to get the fuck beaten outta me from Time to Time in order to keep my head on straight, I’m pretty fuckin’ nuts.”

Even CC looked surprised to hear him say those things, but his surprise really showed when he said something about getting the fuck beaten outta him. None of them were quite sure what he meant by that, but they were too scared of the women at his sidesta bother with asking right now. They weren’t sure just what these women–one of whom he claimed as his best friend–were capable of, and they didn’t wanna find out the hard way. Being surrounded by all these other guys–two of whom were apparently martial artists–old as they were didn’t help that dose of Fear coursing through their veins.

“I–I–” Andy started, unable to vocalize what was on his mind for once.

“Yeah, that’s right–ya heard me call Aerin my best friend at one point, and I’ll do it again,” Ash told him. “She’s my best friend, the lil sister I never had, and my personal ass-kicker when I need it and Aidan _doesn’t_ kick it for me. She was there for me in ways none of y’all except maybe Jake coulda been, and even then, _he_ didn’t get what I was going through like she did.”

“Wait, what?” Jake looked just as confused as the rest of them.

“When my grampa died,” he sighed. “He didn’t just die–he shot himself. On the first Christmas Day after my grama died.”

All four of them gasped, having not taken the Time to find out what’d happened to his grandparents.

“He was like my dad growing up after my _actual_ dad killed himself, too,” the youngest bassist said. “Jake mighta known how it felt to lose an actual parent as an adult, but Aerin–she knew _exactly_ what I was going through, ’cuz she went through it, herself.”

All eyes turned to her, even those of the Poison members gathered around them.

“He’s not wrong, although _my_ dad abandoned me in utero or as an infant–depends on whose story ya believe.” She shrugged, but the movement wasn’t as nonchalant as she’d Intended.

Ash admitted how hard it’d been for her to open up to him or any of the guys surrounding them–even her husband–about her Life before coming to Tennessee. Seeing the Strength she possessed that’d gotten her through those Times without so much as turning to alcohol–well, beyond her _purge Days,_ that is–let alone going off the deep End and turning into a female version of Nikki Sixx’d given him the Strength and Courage he needed to get through the rough patches. Having her support when he wasn’t sure he’d be able to strike out on his own in the Music industry, her presence when he just needed someone in the room to reassure him that he wasn’t alone–those things were absolutely pricelessta him.

Meeting the Love of his Life simply ’cuz the two women’d already been friends before he met her’d been the icing on the cake–or at least, it’d been such back then. Now, he’d even more to live for than he ever woulda Dreamt, but even Aerin could tell he wasn’t going any further ’cuz he felt they didn’t need to know about that aspect of his Life. They weren’t in it for the long haul anymore, and they were lucky he was telling them this much, considering the way his tenure in Black Veil Brides’d Ended.

His desire to keep that part of his Life private from even his former band mates was quickly Ended when that very reason darted out the back door with a shriek of _Daddy!_ Letting out an _Oof!_ as something barreled into his leg from behind and clung to it tightly, Ash looked down from over his shoulder. Seeing the face that was an almost even blend of him and Aidan–what with having his nose and cheekbones, her mother’s lips, and eyes that were somewhere between Aidan’s caramel and his own Chocolate–made him smile, even when he didn’t wanna.

Plucking the lil body practically glued to his leg loose, he picked Ember up so he could hold her against his chest and ruffled the Dark hair she’d gotten from him, but contained red highlights and a bit of a curl from her mother. His daughter giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and the Sound was like Music to his ears, just like every Time he heard it.

“Oh, my God,” CC breathed. “I can’t believe it, unless I just misheard something.”

“Ya didn’t mishear anything, C,” he chuckled. “This is my biggest reason for not wanting to rejoin the band, everything else aside.”

“Daddy, who dey?” Ember asked, glancing toward the morons he called his former band mates.

“Some guys Daddy used to work wiff afore chu were born,” the youngest bassist answered. “We used to be in a band together, kinda like Uncle Bobby was in a band with Bret, Rikki, CC, and even Richie and Blues.”

_“Ohhhh.”_ The lil girl snuggled against his chest glared at them. “No takey mah daddy!”

“Well, we can’t really argue with that,” Jake chuckled, quickly shooting his own glare at the tallest of their group when he started to say something. “Oh, put a sock in it, Andy. Can’tcha see he’s happy out here?”

“For the Love of God, man.” Even Jinxx groaned. “We put him through every Underworld known to man for the last few Years he was with us, andja really think he’s gonna leave all this behind just ’cuz things with Lonnie didn’t work out?”

“We tried to tell ya that was a bad idea, man,” the brunette drummer said with an eye-roll. “Just ’cuz he was a fan and a good fit for your solo band didn’t necessarily mean he was right for BVB.”

“And clearly, trying to get Ash to come back’s gonna work about as well as another hole in the head,” the taller guitarist continued. “Even if he _hadn’t_ made friends with the rest of this group, trying to take him away from his baby girl’d make him fighting mad, and we know it.”

“You’d seriously let a kid get in the way of your Dream?”

Everybody but Aerin was shocked at the words that finally came outta Andy’s mouth as he tried to make the youngest bassist look like the bad guy.

“Let him go, Duff,” she said. Her voice was so level and even, just about anybody who _didn’t_ know her woulda thought she was in a good mood.

“Ya sure about that, hon?” Duff asked, looking a bit uncertain.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” the young woman answered. “Bobby can take my boom-stick back in and hang it up, if y’all really think I’ma shoot him.”

The Silver Fox didn’t hesitate in grabbing the shotgun and taking it inside, ’cuz even he wasn’t too sure what his wily wife was up to. Still, the blonde bassist let go of the young man he’d been detaining, quick to take several steps outta her range, just in case. He didn’t know her nearly as well as the others gathered around her, but judging by how even Ash and Aidan backed away, he knew it was best to get outta her path.

Even Rikki dragged his detainee further back before letting him go, now sure that he wasn’t gonna cause any trouble, if he did. He squeezed the guy’s shoulder when he made to move forward, reminding him of how she’d laid him out with a single punch when she hadn’t even meant to. CC gulped as he glanced back at the young woman now practically stalking his friend like a Mouse, ultimately deciding to stay outta it. Jake and Jinxx seemed to be thinking the same thing, ’cuz they actually took a few steps closer to the martial artists nearest them as if seeking protection.

Aerin didn’t say a word as she advanced on the man before her, who’d to be easily a foot taller than she was and fifty pounds heavier. It was almost like stalking a blue-eyed, Dark-haired version of Duff, and it woulda been downright comical, if she hadn’t been outright boiling at this point. Even hearing Bobby come back out the back door after checking on Zoe and the twins didn’t stop her from continuing to advance on him in a way that backed him around the side of the pool, rather than right into the deep End.

“Ya wanna say that again, ass-wipe?” she growled, fists clenched so tight that her entire arms were shaking from shoulder to fist.

“Oh, shit,” the Silver Fox breathed, his eyes widening as he watched. “I can’t hear what she’s saying to him, but I’ma say _this_ to his buddies–don’t go anywhere near ’em, or you’re gonna get hurt, and badly.”

“How can ya be sure?” the brunette drummer asked.

“Ya think I dunno my wife, kid?” Bobby countered. “’Cuz I’ve been married to her for nigh on three Years, and with her for more than a Year before that. I’d like to think I know what it means when she clenches her fists so hard, her entire arms shake by now.”

“That definitely can’t be good, then,” Jinxx said.

“He says or does the wrong thing, and it’s gonna be like unleashing a Banshee and a few other Elementals on him all at once,” he told them. “I don’t think ya wanna get caught up in the middle of that.”

Shaking their heads vigorously, they agreed that staying outta it was best, especially when they knew that she’d once laid out a black belt. Each of them watched as she kept backing their friend into the grassy patch off to the left side of the pool, taking care not to back him into the planter that bordered it. They’d scoped out the place they’d tracked Ash to well enough to know that planter wasn’t even with the ground on the other side of it, and that a fall from it might just be enough to break a limb. And even if it _didn’t_ break any of Andy’s limbs, it’d surely give her the perfect chanceta pounce on and start beating the utter shit outta him.

“Ya think Ash’s letting his daughter, whom he damn near lost before she was even born–along with her mother–get in the way of his Dream?” Aerin growled as she finally stopped advancing on him once she’d him right where she wanted him.

“Whaddaya call refusing to come back to the band he loved for a kid?” the much-taller man growled in response.

“I call that Dedication, and a Love the likes of while you’ll never know,” she snapped. “’Cuz Bobby damn well did something similar when he found out I was pregnant with our twins and left his own band.”

Andy’s jaw dropped, and it could be seen gaping even from the patio.

“Ash watched his car get turned into a pancake with his pregnant girlfriend inside,” the young woman continued. “He watched her barely cling to Life on the way to the hospital, then had to watch his daughter fight for her own Life in the NICU for two and a-half months. He’d to watch her mother relearn how to walk once her pelvis was put back together and could even bear her weight.”

He looked appropriately abashed as she revealed those things, but she kept going.

“Ya don’t have a clue how many Times I’d to wrap him in a hug like he was my son to cry his eyes out, how many Times I’d to damn near knock his head off so he’d quit talking about giving up Hope on that woman, my _other_ best friend, and their lil girl,” Aerin told him. “You’ve no idea how hard it was to watch him go through that, to hear him crying for not only them, but for even _you_ in his Time of need, knowing ya prolly wouldn’t have answered his call if your Life depended on it like Bobby and I did.”

The brunette front man looked downright ashamed.

“Now, I dare ya to say he’s letting ’em get in the way of his Dream, ’cuz you’ll live to regret it,” she warned him.

“Well, he fuckin’ is,” Andy grumbled, unable to get a chanceta say anything else.

“No, his Love for and Dedication to his family’s getting in the way of _your_ Dream, ya fuckin’ asshole!” the young woman screeched.

Her fist plowed into the side of his face with the force of a sledgehammer behind it quicker than he could even blink, her words heard loud and clear across the yard on the patio. Before he could even try to catch himself, the young man went down on his ass like he woulda, if he’d fallen off that planter behind him. Not two seconds later, she was straddling his waist–which pinned his armsta his sides–and wailing on him like the best World-class fighter.

Aerin’d been holding back her Rage at this sum-bitch and everything he’d put Ash through–even though she didn’t witness any of it–for Years. Now that the cork’d been blown outta the wine bottle, she was spewing all over the place, as it were, and there was no stopping her for a while. She couldn’t stand listening to him say that her brother was letting his daughter get in the way of his Dream, and she damn sure couldn’t take hearing it come outta the mouth of such a narcissistic asshole. If there was anyone who coulda topped him in the narcissistic, Control-freak asshole department, she’d have said it was Bret–but even the blonde front man wasn’t this bad with that kinda behavior.

Eventually, she ran outta steam before any of the others could attempt dragging her off before she killed him, but she’d done a number on him. Andy was barely recognizable as the man he was, what with all the scrapes, bruises, split lips, and no doubt once-again broken nose she’d given him. In fact, a strand of his hair’d even gotten caught in her wedding set from one of the blows she’d landed up closer to his hairline.

Seeing his chance, Bobby darted out and across the yard, quickly pulling his wife off the battered young man who was lucky she hadn’t killed him. He wrapped his arms around her torso, pinning hersta her sides–even though he could sense she was no longer a threat–as the poor guy somehow managed to push himself into a sitting position. Several shocked and horrified gasps rang out behind them, and part of him couldn’t help but worry that he was about to have to bail her outta jail. Course, given the way this kid had been acting the whole Time since Duff dragged him around the house, even that’d be worth it to him.

“Let’s getcha cleaned up, sweetheart,” he told her as the guy’s friends darted down to help him up.

“We’re not letting ya press charges for this, Andy,” the next tallest–the one Rikki’d been restraining earlier–told him in a no-nonsense tone.

“Ya fuckin’ deserved that, if I heard even half of what she was saying right,” the shortest of their group told him. “In fact, I’d daresay Ash heardja all the way back there and wouldn’t mind getting a few blows of his own in.”

“Damn right I did and do,” the youngest bassist called out. “But I think Aerin did a good enough job of rearranging his face for me, so I’ma leave it at that before I get myself in trouble.”

“Kid, you’re lucky as hell she didn’t have any blunt objects within arm’s reach, or you’d have gotten even worse,” Bobby said when he made to argue the point. “’Cuz Aerin’s far from a clean fighter–it runs in her very veins as much as the Native blood runs in mine and Ash’s.”

“Be glad my Swords’re at home and I dunno where hers are, or you’d be dead, ya sorry-ass mother fucker!” Aidan shrieked from across the yard. Her own man was holding her back, now that her infamous temper of a ginger’d been ignited.

“Chill out, love, before we’ve to get your pelvis put back together _again,”_ Ash chuckled, spinning her around to face him so he could shut her up with a kiss.

“I think we’re gonna go dump him at a hospital,” Jake sighed, he and CC holding their friend up. “Personally, I can’t stand the sight of him–and I don’t mean ’cuz I can barely recognize him anymore.”

“Me, either,” Jinxx agreed, shaking his head like a disappointed father. “And we’ll stay outta your hair by going back to our hotel–or better yet, back to Los Angeles.”

“More like London, in your case, Papa Jinxx,” CC chuckled.

“That, too,” he agreed. “I’d rather be touring Big Ben again than dealing with this bullshit.”

The youngest bassist looked up from the kiss he’d been giving his girlfriend, a slight smirk on his face. “Long as Bobby and Aerin don’t care since it’s their house, I can stomach being around the three of y’all–it’s _him_ that I don’t wanna be around ever again,” he told them.

Even Duff was surprised by that, considering that he hadn’t looked happy to see any of the shorter three brunettes. Aerin was prolly the most surprised since he’d acted like he couldn’t stand any of the rest of Black Veil Brides any more than he could stand Andy these Days. But despite her surprise at his words, she shared another one of those Silent conversations with her own husband before nodding to the trio in question.

They were just as surprised that they were being allowed to come back on the grounds that they not have their tallest friend with them. Judging by how she’d acted when she’d first come outta the house and for the first few minutes afterward, they’d thought she hated their guts. But maybe it hadn’t been _them_ she’d the biggest problem with, after all–maybe it’d just been Andy she’d such a big problem with. Either way, they weren’t about to push it, considering what they’d just watched her do to him, if only so she wouldn’t set her sights on any of them next.


	12. Twelve

“So, ya really met Aerin completely by chance?”

It’d been less than an hour since the healthy, non-mangled trio of Black Veil Brides’d hauled their front man off to the closest ER and just dumped him outside. He was just outta it enough from the beating he’d taken that he wouldn’t really be able to tell the staff what’d happened to him, so they were likely to think he’d gotten mugged. As it was, they weren’t entirely sure he wouldn’t suffer some serious amnesia as he recovered, and therefore ever be able to recall the Truth. Even still, the Dalls’d already Destroyed the security footage leading up to the beating, and had even paid off their neighborsta do the same.

“Yeah, I met her completely by chance,” Ash chuckled in responseta Jinxx’s question. “I honestly thought she was gonna gut me or something for the first five minutes after we met.”

“Sounds like my wife,” Bobby laughed as he snuggled the woman in question, their boogers in their laps as much as the youngest bassist’s booger was in his. “She’s a feisty lil thing when she feels like it, but that’s one of the many reasons I love her.”

_“Anch’io ti amo molto, mio Argento Volpe,”_ said woman all but hummed as she tilted her head back for a kiss.

“I think I caught something about Love, but not much less,” the brunette drummer chuckled. “’Cuz I’m not entirely sure that was Spanish.”

“’Cuz it wasn’t,” she laughed. “It was Italian, although _I love you_ is said the same way in both languages.”

“Wait, ya know Italian?” the brunette CC–whom they were calling Chris in order to differentiate–asked, looking surprised.

_“Abbastanza fluentemente a rendere entrambi le tue teste roteare,”_ Aerin answered with a snicker.

“Okay, I don’t have a friggin’ clue whatcha just said, but I think ya proved yourself well enough!” he cackled.

“I said, _Fluently enough to make both your heads spin,”_ the young woman translated, grinning.

“That’s gotta get confusing sometimes,” Jake chuckled.

“No more than when Bobby and Ash start yammering in Cherokee, then won’t fill me in ’cuz they’re trying to pull off some crazy surprise,” Aerin retorted, gently elbowing her husband as she did.

“Spousal abuse!” he howled, grinning since he knew what was coming.

“I’ma show ya what spousal abuse is, if ya keep it up, ya ol’ man,” the young woman laughed.

“Don’t forget what ol’ man rocks ya till the Mornin’ Light like he’s twenty-five again, sweetheart,” Bobby reminded her.

Nobody in the room could help cracking up at their banter, although Chris certainly couldn’t help asking his former bassist how on Earth he put up with it. Ash somehow managed to Calm down enough to answer him, saying that they could actually get worse than that–and that they’d best not push any buttons, ’cuz it wasn’t a matter of if, but when with those two. Course, with it being _their_ house, they could do whatever they wanted to–they only behaved themselves and wore clothes for everybody else’s Sanity.

After everybody’d managed to Calm down, the youngest bassist actually got into recounting the tale of how he’d met his now best friend. Even Duff’d to agree that it was certainly one of the stupidest ways one could meet someone, but it’d set into motion a lotta good things for not just him. Considering even he wouldn’t have met this young woman, if it weren’t for that chance meeting in 2019, he considered it a good thing, for sure.

“She mighta given Andy the beating I’ve wanted to give him for Years now, but she really _does_ have a kind heart and a caring Soul,” he told his former band mates.

“I’m kinda curious, but at the same Time, I don’t wanna ask,” Jinxx admitted. “I think enough buttons’ve been pushed for today.”

“We don’t mind telling,” Aerin said. “Well, part of it’s Bobby’s choice since he’s the one who went through it, but even if he doesn’t want _all_ the details shared, the basic gist can be.”

“I don’t care if ya tell ’em, sweetheart,” the Silver Fox said. “I just hope they’ve strong enough stomachsta handle it.”

Laughing, she turned her attention back to the rest of the group. “Even the rest of Poison didn’t see this, but it was mostly Zach and I that took care of him after he’d to have a major abdominal surgery a few Years ago,” she explained.

“I read about that when the news that he was quitting Poison broke,” Jake told them. “All he said in the interview–which _you_ were in, now that I think about it–was that he wasn’t feeling like he could tour the following Summer, and he knew they were itching to start planning a Summer tour.”

“And I really wasn’t, kid,” Bobby admitted. “Course, ya prolly wouldn’t anywhere from three-to-six months out from having your guts pulled back up and sutured into place, either.”

“Wait, what?” Even the brunette drummer looked surprised.

“Long story short, we don’t use the phrase _shit your guts out_ in this house, ’cuz it takes on a whole new meaning for us,” he laughed.

“Jesus H. Christ!” they gasped in unison.

“But I saw the aftermath of him coming home from the hospital, ’cuz Aerin was my roommate at the Time,” Ash revealed. “The first week or two, she damn near _mother Hen’d_ him to Death, and after that, she slowly started tapering off with that behavior.”

“It mostly depended on how much pain he was in, or how stoned he was, if he’d any of that Vicodin in his system,” she chuckled. “Like I told Duff and his family last month, he’s a lot like my late pappaw–in both his personality and his looks.”

Pointing to the picture that still hung over the entertainment center, the young woman let the remainder of Black Veil Brides form their own judgments on that as much as she’d let the McKagans during _Yule_. They pretty much all agreed that Bobby looked pretty similar to her grampa once they saw a picture of him from about the same age range. But since they didn’t know him well enough to know his personality, and they’d never get the chanceta meet her grampa, they couldn’t help asking about that part.

Laughing, Aerin said that they might as well just picture a much quieter, more crochety version of Ash who’d served in Vietnam, ’cuz even the youngest bassist was a lot like her pappaw. Ornery when he felt like it, stubborn to the very marrow of his bones, but wild and fun-loving as ever in his younger Days–all those descriptions fit both Dark-eyed bassists as much as they once fit Bob Crosswhite and then some.

The Silver Fox’s eyes widened when she finally revealed her pappaw’s name for the first Time to even her best friend. Now he understood why she’d taken to calling him Rob more often than not, and it wasn’t just ’cuz that’s what he preferred when the situation’d nothing to do with Poison. It was no doubt painful for her to call him by his nick-slash-stage name, given all the other similarities she swore they shared. He couldn’t resist shifting the twins enough to wrap her in a tight hug, gently kissing her temple as he rubbed her back when he felt how much she’d tensed.

“I watched my pappaw slowly drown and suffocate to Death, if one didn’t count his own blood being as toxic as it came,” she practically whimpered. “Every Time he’d see him zonked in his recliner, I’d have to stare at him for several minutes just to be sure he was still breathing. And every Time I saw him like that, I just wanted to go get his rifle or shotgun and get it over with.”

“I don’t blame ya, hon.” Duff reached over to gently squeeze her hand. “I can’t say I thought much differently before Mom finally succumbed to her Parkinson’s.”

“It’s been a lil over ten Years now, and it still feels like it was yesterday that I was singing along with _Lost it All_ as they were dragging his corpse outta the houseta be cremated,” Aerin said.

The rest of Black Veil Brides gasped, even the youngest bassist having never known that detail about the Night her grampa’d died.

“Fuck, no Wonder you’d run outta the house in tears every Time it came up in my playlist when we were still living together,” he breathed.

“I just can’t handle hearing it,” the young woman told him. “It takes me back to the Night that my World fell apart for the better part of five Years.”

“So, that’s how long it was between your grampa dying and when ya met Ash?” The younger multi-instrumentalist looked curious.

“I left North Carolina about four months before the fifth anniversary of his Death.” Aerin nodded. “When I stopped at that Starbucks, it was only to get coffee after catching a nap. I’d no idea where I was gonna go, what I was gonna do for money short of prostituting myself–nothing.”

“Then she quite literally ran into me and soaked us both in her coffee ’cuz neither of us were really paying attention,” the youngest bassist laughed. “I was an assta her at first, but she could give as well as she took even then.”

“He was hell-bound and determined that I not live outta my car, to the point that he was willing to let a perfect stranger move in with him, ’cuz he’d been there himself,” she chuckled. “From there, it just snowballed into meeting Bobby, everything I’ve been through and gotten with him, and even meeting Duff.”

“Apparently, it snowballed for Ash, too.” Jinxx couldn’t help a smile any more than his band mates could as they looked at their former bassist, who was snuggling his daughter and the woman who might as well’ve been his wife.

Ash couldn’t help the flush that stained his entire face, which made said daughter giggle behind the mask he and Aidan’d put on her and reach up to poke his cheek. Playfully biting at her finger, he poked her own cheek through that mask, which of course raised no End of questions from his former band mates. He couldn’t help a sigh as he looked back up at them, finally saying that what they’d heard his best friend-turned-sister telling Andy before she’d kicked his ass hadn’t been a lie. In fact, it wasn’t even an exaggeration of the Truth on the younger woman’s part, ’cuz she’d witnessed everything that’d happened aside from the initial crash.

They looked horrified at the haunted look that crossed his face before he quite literally shook off the memories of nearly watching his family die at the foot of his driveway. Watching how the young woman set her son in his daddy’s lap so she could get up to go Comfort him drove the point of how much she really cared home for them.

Even Duff couldn’t deny that there was a bond between even these two that most just didn’t have, and seeing how much she cared about him made him fall for her even more. Sure, he’d seeing her caring, protective side immediately after meeting her while spending Time with her and Bobby in that Georgia hospital, but this just drove the point home. There was no denying that–while willing to scrap with someone to the point of damn near killing them–she was a good woman at heart.

“I know how ya feel, man,” the Silver Fox chuckled when he caught the look he was giving her. “She’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me.”

“Do we even wanna know?” Even Bret was cocking a brow curiously.

“Well, ya know how I share her with even Ash–and that it’s not just as friends,” he told him.

“Wait, what?” Chris asked, his jaw agape. “Ya two swing or something?”

“Let’s go with _or something,_ depending on how open-minded y’all are,” Aerin answered.

“Eh, we’re pretty open-minded,” Jake told her with a shrug. “But we’re not gonna pry, if ya really don’t wanna talk about it.”

Zach quickly plucked his younger siblings from their dad’s lap, Zoe giggling as she plucked Ember from her own daddy’s lap. “We’ll come back in a lil bit, chu cutie,” she told her as they left the room with all three toddlers.

“Jeez, is it _that_ bad?” the brunette drummer asked with a chuckle.

“Kinda, considering we don’t talk about this in front of minors,” she answered. “And what grown kid’ve _you_ ever known who wanna know the sexual shenanigans their parents’re even remotely involved in?”

_“Touché,”_ Jinxx laughed.

“What Bobby meant, though–I inadvertently got Ash into BDSM not long after we met,” the young woman explained. “He caught me practicing the Art of tying rope cuffs on myself when he got home from a flip one afternoon, and it sparked his interest.”

“From there, it kinda snowballed like everything else has till we wound up being play partners,” Ash chuckled. “No sex involved, if only ’cuz she doesn’t wanna be penetrated by _anything_ during a scene–just her tying me up, both of us flogging the other, shit like that.”

“Damn, seriously?” Chris asked, looking surprised.

“He ain’t kidding, kid,” the Silver Fox laughed. “Never got to see one of their scenes till last week, and lemme tell ya–she’ll never get that closeta _me_ with those damn clothes pins!”

“Nah, ’cuz _you_ like it when I hitcha with _Sex magick_ more,” Aerin retorted with a grin.

Everybody in the room cracked up at that, the blonde bassist forced to ask what on Earth she meant by _Sex magick_ once they’d Calmed down enough to speak clearly. Biting her lip for a moment, she judged whether she should open up about her Spiritual choices in front of the remains of the other band, then finally decided that she might as well.

Naturally, they were all surprised to hear her say that she was a literal Witch, although she didn’t practice spell work in the sense of having an Altar and doing Rituals due to a lack of Confidence. The way _Sex magick_ worked, though, it was essentially casting spells with one’s orgasm, and it was some pretty powerful shit. Powerful enough that most Witches on the Planet hadn’t heard of it, and if they had, they’d been a practitioner of the Craft for decades. The only reason she’d heard of it in her mostly inexperienced state was ’cuz she’d stumbled across it online long before she’d ever met her husband.

Bobby couldn’t help a moan at the remembered pleasure as she described when she’d use it against him, which was normally when he was pushing a few too many buttons for her liking. Other than that, she typically didn’t bother with that–or what she called _sensation play_ –unless she was wanting a romp earlier than the Witching Hour, and his body just wasn’t wanting to cooperate. Considering how much older than her he was, she didn’t like trying to force his libido, and she definitely didn’t want him popping Viagra or the like.

“I’d prefer to get as many Years with my husband as I can, damn it,” the young woman chuckled. “I’m not letting him give himself a heart attack trying to please me, if I can help it–I’d rather bust out a sex toy, if that’s the case.”

“So, wait–does that mean ya actually let him start fuckin’ ya, even if you’re asleep?” Chris asked, sounding curious.

“That part’s called _consensual sleep play,”_ Aerin told him, grinning. “Meaning that since I told him he could start a romp, even when I’m asleep, it’s not necessarily rape since I technically already gave my consent.”

“It’s kinda like that sensation play, or beating Ash with a flogger,” Duff chimed in. “Yet another facet of the BDSM Lifestyle among countless ones.”

“You’re into this, too?” Jake asked, looking surprised.

“I was into BDSM when most of ya were barely older than Zep, Zeta, and Ember,” he laughed, nodding. “I just buried that side of myself after I got married, ’cuz my wife’s not interested in it–she’s what we call vanilla.”

“Which’s part of why he’s interested in me,” the young woman explained. “If he and I were play partners, it’d be no different than Ash and I being such. The difference there’d be that Duff and I are both already married to other people, but they’d know and consent to it all the same as much as Aidan does.”

“I’m no more interested in this shit than Susan is, before ya ask,” Aidan chuckled. “But it gets Ash off in ways that I can’t, and I know Aerin doesn’t want him _like that_ like she did ten Years ago, so I’m cool with it since I trust both of them.”

“Now, if Duff and I were to take it further–well, just about every gov’ment body on the Planet’d view it as an extra-marital affair, even if Bobby and Susan’re aware and consenting,” Aerin continued. “But it’d technically fall under something called polyamory. Think the _polygamist_ marriages ya hear about with the Mormon church, just without Duff and I handfasting.”

She wasn’t surprised by the remains of Black Veil Brides and even the blonde bassist cocking their brows in confusion, which made her laugh again. Explaining that handfasting was a Pagan marriage akin to the Spiritual marriages that Mormons did when they took multiple wives wasn’t that hard. In fact, she even explained that she and the Silver Fox were not only legally wed, but handfasted on top of it ’cuz she originally hadn’t wanted to legally wed.

When they nodded their Understanding of the subject, she couldn’t help recalling the memories of how he’d proposed to her–and how it’d led to the conception of their twins. Bobby couldn’t help a sheepish grin as he admitted that Night’d been a pretty juvenile move on his part, especially when he’d known she didn’t want kids, if she could help it. However, that problem’d long since been taken care of, and they’d never have to worry about such a thing again, so he didn’t even bother with buying rubbers anymore. Saying that he’d get himself snipped after Zep and Zeta were born, if that’d been what she wanted, was serious business, but he’d been serious when he’d said it.

Duff laughed as he said that he was glad he’d done the same thing after Mae was born, ’cuz while he wouldn’t deny hoping that even a play partnership turned into more, he didn’t exactly wanna start over again with a new baby. How on Earth his older counterpart was able to manage it–especially with his digestive issues–he wasn’t too sure, but he didn’t wanna push his own Luck in that department.

Aerin couldn’t help another laugh of her own, even as she felt her heart swell with what she could only call Love for the blonde bassist sitting at the other End of the couch. At least now, she knew that if such a thing _did_ ever happen between them, they were on the same page about having more kids or not. Zep and Zeta were a pair of surprises that she loved, but she didn’t want anymore boogers running around–and she wasn’t about to go on Birth Control again, either. That was one thing she’d been steadfast about ever since she went off it for the last Time around the age of nineteen, and that hadn’t Changed yet.

“Why’re ya so against it, though, if ya don’t mind my asking?” Jinxx asked.

“’Cuz aside from thinking it does more harm than good, I’m pretty sure that’s why I’d three miscarriages before I ever turned twenty,” she answered.

“Damn, no Wonder ya were downright paranoid about telling anyone after ya found out,” Ash said.

“Wait, really?” Jake’s eyes were wide with surprise as he asked that.

“Bobby and I agreed not to tell even Poison till I was closer to twelve weeks, ’cuz each of those miscarriages happened between four and six,” the young woman answered, nodding. “I didn’t wanna jinx myself, and he was more than willing to do whatever made me happy, so they didn’t even know I was pregnant till _after_ his interview where he quit the band.”

“But we knew damn good and well there was more to it than getting engaged and wanting to recover from his first surgery more,” Rikki said, gesturing between himself and the other blondes that still made up his band.

“Bobby’s not the type to do something like that on a whim,” Bret agreed. “He was the one we’d have to call a slave-driver back in the Day, what with getting the rest of us up before the ass-crack of Dawn to get in the studio when we were recording _Look What the Cat Dragged In_ and _Open Up.”_

“If anyone was the _least_ likely to quit on a whim, it was him,” CC agreed, his Brooklyn accent thick and strong. “But once Rikki guessed that she was pregnant, it all started clicking and making perfect sense.”

“Even I can’t blame him for his decision, now that I’ve completely come to grips with it,” the blonde front man chuckled. “Yeah, I’m still irked at how he let us know–he didn’t even tell us he was doing that interview before he did it–but we’re all dads.”

“He got the least amount of Time with his kids when they were lil the first Time around due to being in the band, even after his divorce when he’d bring them on the road with us,” the blonde drummer agreed.

“And I was determined _not_ to do that this Time around,” Bobby chuckled. “It was my family, or my band–add in having surgery about a month before Zep and Zeta were conceived, and that decision wasn’t very hard for me to make. I just didn’t want these knuckleheads making me start second-guessing myself, which was why I didn’t tell them till the interview went public.”

Even Chris was starting to fully grasp the weird dynamic in this oddball group of friends no one woulda ever expected to become such, let alone more in some cases. They all looked out for each other–even if that meant beating the shit outta one of their former friends–’cuz they honestly and genuinely cared about each other. In fact, no one could say that even Ash didn’t care, considering that he’d at least filled in for the Silver Fox through the next tour his band had already started nailing down when he’d quit. Just ’cuz he’d ultimately decided he liked being a solo artist and more or less stay-at-home daddy didn’t mean he didn’t care–it just meant he’d certain priorities that trumped others.

As Aerin and Aidan headed into the kitchen to start working on dinner for this massive crowd, the brunette drummer couldn’t resist asking about the toddlers’ ages. His former band mate laughed and said that it was kinda funny how the kids were only three months apart in age, which was another reason they often played together, despite Ember’s immunity problems. After all, she’d been conceived at some point on the trip back from Florida after the Dalls’ handfasting, and they were all still friends now.

Not even Jinxx could help bursting into laughter as they processed Ash accidentally siring his baby girl during such a Romantic Time. It might not’ve been his and the ginger’s Romanceta start with, but it’d certainly Ended up that way before it was all said and done. And their having a baby–whether early, on Time, or a bit late–as accidentally as their friends had was certainly quite the coincidence.

By the End of the Night when they finally headed back to their hotel, the youngest bassist and his lil family back to their own home, everybody was fairly pleasantly exhausted, even though no sex’d been involved. Even Duff let out a content sigh as he settled into the Dalls’ guest room for the Night, despite missing his wife and Wishing for more with the young woman he was so drawn to in addition to her. As he slowly drifted off to sleep after such a long and adventurous Day, he sent up a prayer to whatever Deity’d listen to him that he’d eventually get his way–and without having to die trying.


	13. Thirteen

_September, 2025_

_Seattle, Washington_

By the Time his band finally got off the road from their most recent tour, Duff was beyond exhausted, but he was happier than he’d been in a long Time. He’d celebrated his twenty-eighth anniversary with his wife back in August, but that wasn’t the only Light in his Life, so to speak. Things with Aerin’d been going pretty good, too, even though they weren’t really able to see each other much after the tour kicked off back in the Spring. Luckily, she was more than understanding, considering she’d heard countless stories of the Times Bobby and Ash’d been on tour, not to mention the former’d been on tour when they first met.

The few Times that the tour brought him close enough to Nashville to manage it, he’d essentially run away to hide at their place for anywhere from a Day to three. It just depended on how many Days he’d off between shows, but they were mostly two-to-four Days apart again. After all, Slash’d been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy Years ago from all the drinking and drugging back in the Day, and they were all getting older.

After spending a week at home with Susan once the tour Ended, the blonde bassist’d decided he wanted to see his would-be girlfriend again. Said wife’d actually decided she wanted to pay the Dalls a visit, too, if only ’cuz she’d become decently good friends with them in her own right and adored their now three-Year-old twins. It was almost like Zep and Zeta were her own when she was around them, as if she were either a second mother or a kinda grandmother to them. None of them tried to truly put a label on it, if only ’cuz Aerin hated when people did that kinda shit, especially to kids. Her take on it was that if they wanted to call the blonde woman _Mama Sue_ or even _Grama,_ that was between the three of them, and she was staying outta it.

Upon arriving at BFI in Seattle–the airport that was almost like a second home to him, he took flightsta various Cities and countries so often–Duff was just glad to get them checked in and through security. He was looking forward to getting to relax, whether it was on a plane or once he was back on the ground in Nashville. Course, as terrified of flying as he usually was–even when he didn’t show it–he knew he prolly wouldn’t get to relax much till they were on the ground again, but that was okay.

_Nashville, Tennessee_

Once on the ground again at BNA, Duff was definitely able to relax more than he had ever since getting up around three that Morn to head to BFI. He was glad to’ve had his wife at his side, ’cuz having Susan’s presence was one reason why his panic disorder hadn’t acted up quite as bad as when he was alone. She was his Calm before and after the Storm, no matter what kinda Storm cropped up in his Life–figurative or literal–as much as _he_ was her rock to rest on.

The couple was quick to collect their luggage and head off to find a rental car–or whatever was available to be rented, that is. Both were just happy that they knew their way around Nashville just enough to get them to the Dalls’ house without getting lost, barring any detours or anything. It meant they didn’t have to call either of the couple for a pickup, which gave them the opportunity to surprise them when they flew down.

“I’m just ready to get there so we can relax,” the blonde bassist chuckled as they settled in said rental at last.

“I know the feeling, love, and I’m not even the one who just got off the road,” Susan laughed as he fired up the _Silverado_ they’d been stuck with.

“Thank God I can handle driving this thing, as lil as ya know I typically get along with a V-8,” he said with a grin.

“If that isn’t the Truth, I dunno what is,” his wife agreed, shooting him a grin of her own.

Laughing as he threw it into _Reverse,_ Duff made sure there was no one coming before backing outta the parking space it’d been stuck in. He couldn’t help commenting that he didn’t know how on Earth Aerin managed to handle her _Tahoe_ so well, considering she was a foot shorter than him and it was built on the same chassis as a _Silverado_. She musta had a lot more practice than he did, ’cuz he’d seen her handle that joker better while half-asleep and taking him to the airport than he could wide awake. At the End of the Day, her safety ultimately mattered more to him–and to Bobby, as well–so he didn’t really dwell on it as they made the fairly short drive to the neighborhood where the Dalls lived.

Pulling into their driveway to see the Silver Fox playing with his younger kids in the Sunny patch of grass separated from his neighbor’s yard by the driveway, but closer to the house than the road, like he was half his age made them laugh. Watching him get tackled by said kiddos when he took his eyes off them long enough to look up and see who was here made them laugh even harder as he parked in the oval-shaped spot almost directly across from the front door.

“Well, I’ll be,” he laughed from where he was being pinned down as they got out. “Didn’t know ya guys were coming!”

“’Cuz we wanted it to be a surprise,” Duff chuckled. “But since we can see you’re kinda busy, we can always head out and go irritate Ash.”

“Nah, I ain’t quite _that_ busy,” the older bassist told him, Zep and Zeta finally letting him up. “Chu two runts stay outta teh driveway since Mama’ll be back soon.”

“Otays, Daddy!” they chorused as they ran up to the front door.

“Where’s she at?” his blonde counterpart asked curiously.

“Ash sucks at yard work, and Aidan’s just not able to do it ever since she got her pelvis split,” Bobby answered as he took the hand offered to help pull him up. “Since Aerin always did the yard work when they were roommates, she still does it for him now, as well as taking care of our own yard.”

“Well, I gotta say–she’s pretty damn good at it, judging by why I see with my own eyes,” the blonde bassist chuckled.

“Yeah, she’s pretty anal about it,” he agreed with a laugh. “But hey, she makes it look like an entire landscaping crew came in, and all I’ve to pay for is the gas and any other maintenance for the mower.”

“Can’t beat that, man,” Duff told him. “God knows I’d kill to have that kinda live-in landscaping service.”

None of them could help a laugh, all of them looking toward the main part of the driveway as they heard someone else pulling in. Seeing the gunmetal-gray _Tahoe_ they knew was the younger woman’s wasn’t much of a surprise, especially since her husband had just said she’d be back soon. However, she was certainly surprised when she got out and was able to see the faces of their blonde guests well enough to tell who they were.

Said blonde bassist couldn’t help grabbing her in a Bear-hug she swore almost rivaled that of her husband, Susan laughing as he picked her up to spin her around. Aerin squealed since she wasn’t used to such a thing, said husband not wanting to take his chances with his neck and doing that, and the youngest bassist having gotten his shoulders and head beaten a few too many Timesta do it anymore. He was quick to set her back on her feet, laughing as he grabbed her shoulder to steady her since she was clearly dizzy from the spinning. Course, he was surprised when she shook off his hold and started spinning herself in the opposite Direction.

“Doing that’ll unwindja, if you’re dizzy,” she chuckled. “Even if there were few good things Kat taught me growing up, that was one of ’em.”

“I’m guessing Kat’s your mom?” Duff asked curiously.

“Birth Creature, as I call her since she was never really much of a mom to me growing up, but yeah,” the young woman answered, nodding. “I’m just surprised to see y’all down here.”

“What can I say?” He grinned as his wife laughed. “I missed my would-be girlfriend as much as my wife, and she couldn’t resist joining me for a couple reasons.”

“I mean, I consider the two of ya friends of my own,” Susan clarified. “And who _wouldn’t_ wanna spend Time with their man right after he gets back from a long trip?”

“Hey, ya ain’t gotta tell me twice,” Aerin laughed. “How on Earth do ya think Bobby got me anywhere near an airport, let alone on a plane, the week after they killed that _Stadium Tour_ back in 2020?”

“Damn, ya really weren’t kidding about being terrified of flying?” the blonde bassist countered.

“Nope, ’cuz if there’s one thing that’ll make me have a panic attack–even a mild one, compared to yours, I’m sure–it’s the Thought of getting trapped somewhere with limited Air and no way out,” she answered.

“I’m actually kinda surprisedja know about that,” Duff said.

“I wound up with a copy of _It’s So Easy (and Other Lies)_ long before I met Bobby,” the young woman laughed. “Kinda like I did with Nikki Sixx’s _The Heroin Diaries_ and _This is Gonna Hurt,_ not to mention the Mötley Crüe book.”

“Well, that might give ya a jumpstart on getting to know me, butcha still dunno everything,” he told her, grinning.

“Oh, I know I don’t,” Aerin agreed. “Like how ornery ya are or aren’t when ya first wake up–or don’t get enough sleep–your prowess in the bedroom, whether you’re _really_ an ethical asshole in a dungeon, and doubtless all sortsa other shit.”

“I’d say my prowess in the bedroom’s pretty good, if I’ve two boogersta show for it,” the blonde bassist retorted.

“Not as good as Bobby’s since he’s _four_ to show for it,” she snickered.

“Ya got me there, girlie,” Duff agreed as said Silver Fox blushed hotly.

“Hey, you’re the one who split Zep and Zeta up, or whatever it was that caused twins instead of a single booger!” he told his wife.

Aerin veritably cackled as they headed into the house to make sure said boogers weren’t playing with matches or anything. Her retort to that was that she mighta been the one to split them up, release two eggs, or what have ya, but she wasn’t the one to fire off about three million sperm in one load. Even Susan couldn’t deny that she’d a point there, so neither of the guys could really argue it, either when they thought about it like that.

In the house, they found the kids playing in the great room, the pair settled in front of a doll house they’d set up in front of the not-quite balcony that overlooked the room from the kitchen. Setting it up there kept it more or less outta the way of the rest of the room, but kept the kiddos a safe distance from the fireplace. No one wanted them getting burnt when it was actually in use, and they didn’t wanna see them hit their heads on it at _any_ Time, if it could be avoided. Luckily, both kids’d long since learned to stay away from it, or Mama was gonna bust their butts quicker than Daddy would.

Giving her husband a quick kiss, the young woman headed off to the master suite to grab a quick shower so she could wash off all the sweat from mowing Ash’s yard for him. Nodding, Bobby said he was gonna go start on dinner since it was getting late enough, and the McKagans decided to go put their stuff in the guest room for now. At least it’d stay out from under foot and they wouldn’t have to worry about doing it later, when they were almost too exhausted to walk straight.

“I swear, getting used to running on East Coast Time’s the worst,” Duff chuckled as they came back downstairs.

“Not quite East Coast here in Nashville,” the Silver Fox chuckled, having heard them. “We’re in Central Time here.”

“Same differenceta me,” he laughed. “’Cuz either way, I’m going more than an hour ahead every Time I fly out here.”

_“Touché,”_ Bobby agreed. “I admit, it took a lil adjusting for me, too, when I first moved up from Florida.”

“Where’dja live in Florida, if ya don’t mind my asking?” Susan cocked a curious brow at him as they settled at the island.

“My hometown of Miami,” he answered. “I was born and raised there till I was two or three, moved up to the Harrisburg area till I was about nine, then _back_ down to Miami till I was about seventeen.”

“Parents just couldn’t make up their minds, huh?” the blonde bassist chuckled.

“More like my parents’d moved down there after they got married–before even my older brother, Butch, was born,” the Silver Fox explained. “Since Dad was originally from Mechanicsburg, they eventually moved back there to be closer to family. When they split up before I was born, Mom wanted to go _back_ to Miami since _she_ was from that area, that was she could be closer to her own family for help with us kids.”

“You and your brother, huh?” the blonde woman asked with a chuckle.

“And my older sister, Patty–she was the middle baby,” Bobby answered, nodding.

“So, you’re the youngest of the family?” Duff asked, laughing as he nodded again. “I’m the youngest of my family, too–I’ve just got a lot more older siblings.”

He couldn’t help cocking a brow curiously, but didn’t actually ask.

“Four older brothers, three older sisters,” the blonde bassist told him, grinning. “Imagine how crazy it was for _my_ mom after our parents split up when I was about twelve.”

“I don’t wanna, man,” he laughed. “Gods, trying to picture _Aerin_ in those shoes makes me wonder how _any_ woman could do it and still retain an ounce of Sanity.”

“Sanity–what Sanity?” said younger woman laughed as she joined them. “Anyone who’s more than a single kid’s already insane, if ya ask me. Well, that’s if they don’t wind up with twins or something like we did.”

Even Duff couldn’t help laughing at that declaration, although he knew she was right to a certain extent since child-rearing was never easy. Adding to one’s plate by having more than one–or having a career like his and Bobby’s–certainly didn’t help how hard or easy it was to raise kids. The fact that they’d managed to do it spoke volumes about their Strength and Sanity, though, or their kids’d be holy terrors now.

By the Time dinner was ready, the youngest boogers that any of the rockers aside from Ash had were starting to turn into holy terrors as they clamored for food. They were like both their parents, especially their mama, in that they’d get _hangry,_ if they were made to wait too long once their lil bellies started growling. One sharp noise said mama’d learned from her uncle–which even Bobby somehow couldn’t pull off–shut them up before anyone could lose their temper. The blonde bassist and his wife were surprised by just how quick they clamped their mouths shut with a soft whimper, apparently knowing they were pushing it just by hearing that Sound.

With dinner on the table, Aerin got her punks settled at their lil kiddie table since they despised high chairs with a Passion straight from the Pits of Hades. She wasn’t in any kinda mood to listen to them being brats since she’d a good Day and was in an equally good mood at the moment. No one wanted to ruin that, considering how quick her moods could shift–it was almost as if they shifted every Time the Wind Changed the Direction it blew in.

After dinner, Zep and Zeta were taken upstairs for bathtime before they were put to bed, giving Duff and Susan a chanceta talk over whether to open up their relationship or not. Over the past few months, the blonde woman’d decided that letting her husband start seeing someone else might be good for both of them. She wasn’t blind, so she could see how much he’d fallen for the young woman, and she knew that trying to keep them separated prolly wouldn’t be the smartest of ideas.

She just hoped that if she actually allowed this–and that if the Silver Fox did, too–none of them’d live to regret the decision they made.


	14. Fourteen

The Morn after arriving in Nashville–and getting to wind up in bed with Aerin for the first Time, even if it _was_ in just a platonic sense–Duff woke completely alone. At first, he thought he’d just woken up in yet another hotel bed, that he hadn’t really gotten off the road, but it all started coming back to him soon enough. Reaching across the bed he’d woken in–which was in the second guest room the Dalls rarely had to use–he realized the spot next to him was still kinda warm, but cooler than not.

Grunting as he pushed himself into a sitting position, he wondered where on Earth his young hostess–and now girlfriend–had gotten off to since it was only about eight. Maybe one or both of the twins’d woken her up for an early breakfast, but he somehow highly doubted that was the case. They’d been abed before any of the adults turned in for the Night, so unless they’d sniffed her out like a pair of puppies, they prolly wouldn’t have realized their mama wasn’t in bed with Daddy. In fact, they wouldn’t have realized their mama wasn’t even in her bedroom to start with, let alone started looking for her in any of the other bedrooms.

Once he’d taken a quick trip to the bathroom and dragged on his PJ britches and a tank top, the blonde bassist headed downstairs. He wasn’t about to barge into the master suite, just in case she’d headed back there for an early-Morn romp with Bobby. It wouldn’t be fair to them–not to mention just downright rude and disrespectful–to invade their private Space unless somebody was dying.

Down in the great room, Duff looked around for his young girlfriend, but didn’t see her there or in the adjoining kitchen. He was just about to start searching the rest of the house–sans master suite, of course–when something from outside caught his attention. Unless he was mistaken, he’d just caught the Sound of a muffled, but feminine voice, and judging by what he’d heard, the person was singing. That brought a slight smile to his face, ’cuz he was pretty sure that it was his missing girlfriend as he headed over to the back door. He was quiet as he pulled it open, not wanting to spook her into stopping since he’d found out that she usually didn’t like when others heard her sing.

_“Oh, whoa, oh_ – _I don’t wanna spend my Life jaded, waitin’…to wake up one Day and find…that I let all these Years go by…wasted! Yeah, yeah! Oh, whoa, oh_ – _I don’t wanna keep on a-Wishin’, missin’…the still of the Morning, the Color of the Night! I ain’t spending no more Time…wasted!”_ Aerin was singing as he stood there listening.

When she failed to continue beyond that, Duff couldn’t resist clapping softly, laughing as a startled shriek rang out as she whirled to face him.

“Sweet Goddess on a pogo stick!” the young woman snapped, clapping a hand to her chest.

“What’dja stop there for, hon?” he asked with a grin as he dropped his arms back down by his sides. “You’ve a ridiculously awesome voice.”

“’Cuz that was the End of the song,” Aerin answered with a huff. “And you’re damned lucky I wasn’t armed, or I’d have prolly thrown a knife atcha or something.”

“At least I woulda gone out with the voice of an angel in my ears and a smile on my face,” the blonde bassist chuckled as he finally approached her.

Sighing as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his torso, she couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. Even though he’d scared the hell outta her when he started clapping outta nowhere, there was just something that drew her to him. It honestly felt a lot like when she’d first actually met Bobby, and if she were even more honest, before even meeting him.

Maybe it was ’cuz the young woman could see a lotta similarities between herself and Duff that others wouldn’t necessarily see. Given the right situation, she was every bit as driven and determined as both her husband and now-boyfriend were and ever had been. She was just as wild and crazy as they were, if only in different ways–but that was one of those _Beauty’s-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder_ kinda things. And like they often were, she was best left to learn something on her own unless she specifically asked for help, ’cuz someone trying to butt in more than was asked for never failed to piss her off.

But while she and the Silver Fox’d their Calm, Serene sides that damn near mirrored the _Sailor Moon_ character Queen Serenity–and later, her daughter, Neo-Queen Serenity–she shared traits with Duff that she didn’t with her husband. They were both utterly terrified of flying–or more aptly, the Thought of getting trapped in a small Space and running outta Air. Even though she’d technically have panic attacks, if such a thing happened to her, Aerin wouldn’t necessarily call them severe since she didn’t need medication for it, whereas her boyfriend technically shoulda been medicated–if he weren’t a recovering addict, that is. Not only that, but getting trapped somewhere was the only Time she’d have them, rather than completely at random like he did.

Having observed her for quite a while before now, even the blonde bassist couldn’t really disagree with those assessments. They shared just enough similarities, Music aside, that they could easily connect with each other in ways that others couldn’t. What he thought was even cooler was that their similarities even differed slightly, like those aforementioned panic attacks and their causes, not to mention their specific preferred musical genres.

_“Mmmm,”_ Duff hummed, content to just stand there on the patio with her in his arms as they watched the Sun rise together.

_“Mmmm_ is right,” the young woman chuckled, momentarily tightening her grip on his waist.

“What can I say?” he asked with a chuckle of his own. “Living to see another Sunrise’s always a good thing. Getting to see it happen with such a beautiful woman in my arms just makes it even better.”

“I swear, are _all_ rock stars Silver-tongued bastards?” Aerin laughed, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“Whyddaya ask that?” the blonde bassist countered as he looked down at her. He didn’t normally like petite women since he didn’t like craning his neck, but this was one he could make an exception for.

“’Cuz I daresay that if he caught me at the right Time–and I didn’t have such formidable Willpower–Ash coulda talked me into being his lover in about six words instead of getting to meet Aidan,” she told him, grinning. “And don’t even get me started on what a Silver-tongued devil Bobby can be.”

“Ya know, I could take being compared to other men as an insult,” Duff snickered. “But I know ya didn’t mean it like that.”

“Damn right, I didn’t,” she chuckled. “The comparison–beyond the fact that you’re all men, that is–was that you’re all in the same industry with your careers. Well, I amend that to your _Primary_ careers.”

The blonde bassist couldn’t help another chuckle of his own as he admitted that he’d never really thought about it all that much. Sure, rock stars were generally pretty charismatic–they _had_ to be, at least up to a certain point, or they’d never keep a crowd’s attention for very long. Granted, having talent–whether it was with vocals, instruments, or both–certainly went a long way in that department, but they still needed a more-than-healthy dose of charisma.

But now that Aerin’d called him a Silver-tongued bastard, he couldn’t help but think that maybe she was right about that. Maybe he really _did_ have a Silver tongue, considering how he could sweet-talk his way into–or even outta–just about whatever he wanted when he felt like it. And now that he thought about it, he realized that he’d noticed a lotta other folks in his profession were the same way, but hadn’t really paid it much mind.

Neither of the new couple could help a laugh as they turned to head back inside, smiles on their faces as Duff closed the back door behind them. Those smiles only grew when the young woman caught sight of her tousled, sleepy-eyed husband, who’d both their twins snuggled against his chest as he walked into the great room. She didn’t even seem to care that he was shirtless and showing off the few tattoos he’d acquired over the Years in comparison to himself, or even Ash. All that seemed to be on her mind now was greeting the trio as much as he wanted to greet his own wife, who was right behind them, with a _good-Morn_ kiss. But there was nothing wrong with that kinda mentality, ’cuz it showed what a loving, caring wife and mother she was.

Even as he watched his new girlfriend interacting with her family when she wasn’t interacting with Susan and himself, he couldn’t help a twinge in his heart at the Thought of going back home. Seattle was so far away from Nashville–obviously, even further than Miami was–and he knew having so much physical distance between them’d take a toll on their relationship eventually. In fact, he was trying so hard to figure out how they’d ultimately make it work that he didn’t even seem to notice how she avoided looking at Bobby’s right arm as much as she could, never mind find the Will to ask why that was.

By that afternoon, Aerin’d noticed that her new boyfriend finally picked up on her purposely avoiding looking at her husband’s right arm any more than she had to. She’d a damn good reason for that, which was the reason Bobby usually didn’t argue wearing some kinda shirt that covered it. Unless it was simply too hot to run around with even a tank top on or she actually wanted him shirtless–which usually didn’t happen anywhere but in the master suite–he tended to like keeping his clothes on more than stripping and baring all.

“So, whyddaya _not_ like seeing his right arm, if ya like seeing him shirtless?” Duff asked when they were out on the patio alone again.

“’Cuz I don’t like seeing the tat he got for his ex-wife,” she answered, watching said husband and Susan chasing the kids around the back yard.

“Wait, he’s a tat for his ex-wife?” the blonde bassist asked. “I honestly hadn’t paid enough attention to notice whether he did or not.”

“He does,” Aerin answered, nodding. “I’m assuming it’s supposed to be a representation of her Zodiac sign–the symbol for Capricorn’s often said to be a combo of a Goat and a Mermaid, after all–and it’s of an odd-looking Mermaid with her name arching over top of it.”

“Ouch,” he said with a wince, one eye scrunching shut. “Prolly doesn’t make ya feel very good as his wife, if you’ve to see it.”

“Well, I’ll admit that it _does_ make me a lil jealous sometimes,” the young woman admitted. “But it’s more so that it’s a reminder that I’ll never truly get her outta his Life–beyond the DNA Zach and Zoe share with her, that is–since he’s vetoed having it lasered off, and it’d be too big a bitch to have it covered up.”

“Sounds like there’s more to it than that, though,” Duff observed as he watched her expression shift.

“Eh, not really,” she chuckled. “I actually told him that he’d better not get a tat like that for me. I don’t normally act superstitious or anything of the sort, but let’s say him doing that was what ultimately Ended our relationship…”

“Ya know, that’s actually a good point,” the blonde bassist mused. “I’ve noticed that a lotta couples who do that kinda thing End up breaking up at some point, some sooner than others.”

“My point exactly,” Aerin agreed. “Who says that his getting that tat wasn’t what set his eventual divorce into motion a decade before it ever happened?”

He couldn’t help a chuckle of his own as she paused for a breath.

“Granted, I know that most likely ain’t the case, but I don’t Intend to take chances, either,” the young woman told him. “He’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me–aside from Ash, of course–and now you’re only adding to that streak of good Luck, if ya ask me.”

Duff agreed that, silly and superstitious though it might seem to some folks, there wasn’t any need to take chances with something that may or may not be ridiculous. There also wasn’t a need to fix what wasn’t broken, and since their relationship obviously wasn’t broken, it didn’t need any kinda fixing. Hell, the Silver Fox was lucky he’d managed to sweet-talk his way into legally marrying her since she’d originally wanted to stop at just handfasting, so he definitely didn’t need to be pushing any boundaries on that.

Only moments after that, they watched as Bobby mocked stumbling like he was drunk till he fell straight into the deep End of the pool. It wasn’t the fact that he’d fallen in that startled the blonde bassist and his wife–it was that he’d Zep and Zeta in his arms when he did it. Both jumped up to dive in after at least the kids, Aerin laughing as she stopped them from doing anything that could be deemed rash.

Seconds after they’d fallen into the pool, both of the twins’ heads popped above the Surface, where they giggled hysterically as they amazingly treaded Water. Their daddy wasn’t far behind in Surfacing for Air, a grin on his face as he joined their laughter while tossing his soaked Silver locks over his shoulder behind him. As he chased his babiesta the shallow End of the pool, their mother explained that they’d been working on them with learning how to swim since before they were even a Year old. She’d made it clear while they were still in utero that if they were gonna have a pool in the back yard, they were gonna be taught how to swim early on, just in case they ever fell in by accident.

Neither Susan, nor Duff could deny that that actually made sense versus taking their chances with the toddlers’ Lives by doing the very opposite. They just hadn’t been expecting Bobby to fall into the pool with them in his arms like that, so they’d been startled by him doing just that and dragging them under with him. He laughed as he wrung his hair out, saying that if they hadn’t been working on teaching them to swim for so long already, there was no way he’d have done that. Even Zach and Zoe hadn’t gotten dragged or chucked into the pool as youngsters before they could at least hold their breath underwater.

“I’d like to think I’m smarter than to think my kids’re part-Fish,” the Silver Fox chuckled.

“Gods, I hope so!” Aerin laughed. “Intelligence’s one thing I like in a Romantic partner, so I must be pretty dumb to’ve stayed with ya this long, if you’re an idiot.”

“Oh, we both know I’m still an idiot, love,” he told her with a grin. “Just not _that_ kinda idiot.”

“And not on a constant basis, either, or I’d have beaned some smarts into ya with one of my cast Iron skillets by now,” the young woman retorted.

“Ouch, talk about a helluva headache,” Duff said, unable to help a grin of his own at this point.

“Hey, at least some good would come of it–as long as I didn’t kill him trying, that is!” she shot back.

“She’s a point, hon,” Susan agreed with a mischievous giggle. “So, ya better stop while you’re ahead before she starts giving me ideas.”

“Oh, God,” the blonde bassist groaned. “Is it too late to ask ya to be my girlfriend? ’Cuz clearly, I didn’t think far enough ahead on that one.”

The entire group burst into raucous laughter as they headed into the house, mostly for Bobby and the kidsta dry off and change their clothes, now that they were outta the pool. He definitely hadn’t thought far enough ahead to realize that, if he started dating Aerin, she and his legal wife’d essentially be sister wives. To be quite honest, though, he hadn’t really thought about what that’d make him and the Silver Fox to each other, either.

Duff admitted that he was kidding when he said that, ’cuz there wasn’t anything on the Planet that could get him to go back and _not_ ask her out at last. Not even his grown daughters could, although they seemed to like her well enough, just as their mother did. In fact, he loved this vivacious, if eccentric young woman as much as he loved the blonde model he’d fallen for when she was still just a child. Sure, he Wished he coulda met her decades ago as much as his musical counterpart did, but that woulda made her jail bait for both of them. Maybe it was a good thing they’d both met her when they did, so they could give her the best of themselves now.


	15. Fifteen

By the Time _Yule_ rolled around again, Duff’d taken so many trips down to Nashville–both solo _and_ with Susan–that his band was starting to get suspicious. He didn’t particularly care what they thought, though, even though he still didn’t disclose his relationship with Aerin to them. She’d asked him to keep his mouth shut not just for her sake, but for Bobby’s and the twins’, as well, and he’d been willing to abide by that. Just like they did, he didn’t think it was anyone else’s business who he was with in a Romantic sense, considering that the other involved significant others and their kids all knew and were cool with it. In fact, the Silver Fox’d actually taken him aside and said that while he was a pretty private guy outside the band when he was still in Poison, his wife made him look like a total open book in comparison.

He said that he didn’t know all the details, if only ’cuz his wife wouldn’t go further than the bare minimum like she did with a lotta things, but she’d a couple traumatic points from her Past that haunted her now. Not only had she pretty much been stalked and tormented by a borderline psycho-stalker ex till the Day she turned eighteen after she’d dumped him, but she’d also been raped when she was seventeen. Aerin wouldn’t say much else about the rape part, other than while it was the textbook definition of the word to a T and _wasn’t_ particularly violent, it _did_ make her wary of letting her guard down.

The blonde bassist hadn’t been able to stop himself from wincing when Bobby’d told him that about his girlfriend, and now he could understand why they valued their privacy so much. In being an internationally-famous rock star, he no doubt valued whatever privacy he could get, if it meant getting to sleep, fuck, and shit in Peace. With that kinda Past lurking over her head, though, he couldn’t really blame his young girlfriend for being so paranoid about her safety–and that wasn’t including that of her husband or kids.

It was under those circumstances that Duff didn’t tell the rest of his band where he and his family were going for part of the holidays this Year any more than he’d told them the Year previous. What he didn’t realize was that Slash’d gotten curious enough to actually follow them, based on what lil he’d told them and what he remembered from that show in Atlanta. Course, it was prolly better that the quiet lead guitarist be the one to follow the McKagan family, ’cuz while his practically stalking them wouldn’t be appreciated by anyone, at least he _could_ keep his mouth shut. Once provided with the reasons why such a request was being made of him, he’d be more than agreeable to helping his blonde band mate hide the Truth from the rest of their band.

“Hey there, hon!” said blonde chuckled, having let his family in with the key that the Dalls’d given him to their home.

“’Bout Time y’all go here!” Aerin laughed, herding Zep and Zeta outta the kitchen so their daddy could open the oven door.

“Daddy Duffy!” said preschoolers squealed as they ran over to glomp his legs.

“Looks like somebody else missed me, too,” he laughed, leaning down to kiss their mother before picking them up.

“Yesh!” Zep giggled as he wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Who else didja miss, chu lil rugrats?” Duff asked, grinning.

“Mama Sue! And Sissies!” Zeta answered as she set her sights on his wife and daughters.

_“Oooh,_ chu’s done growed ups on us since teh last Time we saw chu!” Susan giggled as she took the lil girl from him.

“We’s four naow!” her twin told her proudly, Grace taking him from her dad.

“Chu _ish?”_ Mae giggled. “Chu’s _soooo_ big!”

The blonde bassist couldn’t help another laugh of his own, Bobby finally joining the growing crowd in his great room once his culinary masterpiece’d been left on top of the stove to cool. He was still amazed by how his musical counterpart’d shrunk at least a couple inches in the last couple Years, ’cuz he didn’t seem to be quite as tall as he’d once been. In fact, the blonde was able to swing his arm over his shoulders for a side-hug a lot easier than when they were in their twenties or thirties, and he’d only been six-foot-even compared to his own six-three back then.

Before anyone else could say a word, there was a knock at the front door that Aerin said she’d go answer since they were expecting Ash, his family, and even the rest of Black Veil Brides. According to her, the youngest bassist’d gotten on good enough terms with his former band–even Andy–that she didn’t mind them joining the _Yule_ festivities, as long as they behaved.

Opening the door, she was momentarily taken aback and stopped mid-greeting as she realized that the Dark hair and tanned flesh she was looking at _didn’t_ belong to her best friend-turned-brother. It took her a few momentsta actually be able to form words, during which Time the pair of bassists followed her to investigate her sudden Silence. Duff’s brow furrowed in curious confusion as Bobby moved to wrap his arms around her from behind in a protective, Comforting gesture.

“Slash?” he finally asked. “What’re ya doing here, man?”

“I could–and prolly will–be asking the same of _you,”_ Slash chuckled. “Sorry to crash the party, but I basically got put up to it by the rest of our nosy-ass band.”

“Well, at least you’re honest about it,” Aerin mused, opening the door wider as she saw Ash and crew actually pull up this Time. “Might as well c’mon in, as long as ya can keep a Secret. I don’t feel like digging a grave or otherwise trying to hide a body, considering it’s supposed to be a Joyous Time.”

“I’d kinda like to be able to go back home to my family,” the guitarist chuckled, nodding his thanks as the others walked up behind him.

“Damn, I didn’t know we were having _two_ -fifths of the Guns’ original lineup this Year,” Ash chuckled, his daughter snuggled against his chest.

“Neither did we,” the young woman told him, laughing.

“Oh, so we’ve a party-crasher, huh?” he asked, cocking one of his finely-arched brows at said party-crasher.

“I pretty much got told, _Follow Duff and find out why he’s being so Secretive, or get thrown outta the band,”_ Slash laughed. “Although, I’ll admit that I’m pretty curious, even _without_ that hanging over my head.”

“Ten bucks says that ultimatum came from Axl, the nosy sum-bitch,” Duff chuckled, starting to help with hanging up coats as they were taken off.

“Is the Sky still blue?” his band mate asked with a grin. “Pigs’re still on the ground and not flying, right?”

None of the group and their accompanying significant others–wives in some cases, girlfriends or _fiancés_ in others–could stifle their laughter when he asked that. Anybody who knew him knew that Axl Rose could be more than a bit of a tyrant when he wanted to, even though he wasn’t quite as bad about that now as he’d been in decades past.

With all their coats hung up, the group headed to the great room so they could find seats wherever possible, most of them winding up on the floor. One recliner in particular was left free ’cuz just about all of them knew it was the one Bobby’d claimed, and that he’d just stand and stare at them till they got up, if they were dumb enough to take it. As per usual, the young woman wound up in her husband’s lap once he sat down, her hips nestled between his thighs so they were both comfortable as he wrapped his arms around her. What surprised most of the group, Slash especially, was when she reached out and grabbed Duff’s hand so she could lace their fingers from where he reached out over the couch arm.

“The long and short of it for pretty much everyone–Aerin and I’ve been dating for the last few months,” he said as he wrapped his free arm around the shoulders of his own wife.

“Wait, seriously?” This came from Andy, who was apparently the only one _not_ shocked in Silence.

“It’s called _polyamory,_ dork,” the young woman chuckled. “Totally different ball game than cheating–hell, it’s in its own _ball park.”_

“I’ve never heard of such a thing–at least, that I know of,” Jinxx mused.

“Course ya have, if you’ve heard of the polygamy that Mormons practice when they take multiple wives,” she retorted with a grin.

“Wait, what?” Chris asked as the rest of Poison let themselves in, too.

“When a Mormon takes multiple wives, there’s only _one legal_ marriage,” Aerin explained, nodding to the other band as they joined them. “The subsequent marriages’re basically handfastings, which’s a Pagan marriage.”

“If you’ll recall, she’s already said that she and Bobby handfasted before they actually got married,” Jake spoke up with a certain look at his band mates.

Nodding, the baby of that particular band motioned for her to continue, one of his arms wrapped around his own wife–whom she admittedly couldn’t stand.

“Well, my being with Duff at the same Time as being handfasted _and_ married to Bobby’s kinda like being play partners with sex and other Romance added to it,” the young woman continued. “They both know who I’m with, Bobby and Susan both know who their spouses’re with, and we all consent to it.”

“’Cuz without consent on even one of their parts, _nothing’d_ happen between her and Duff beyond playing,” Ash added. “She’s that big on _safe, sane,_ and _consensual,_ even in her vanilla Life.”

“The only reason we haven’t told anyone who didn’t need to know’s ’cuz she and Bobby both asked that we keep it on the down-low,” Duff said, looking mostly at his own band mate. “He’s a pretty private guy when it doesn’t involve his former band, and _she_ makes him look like an open book, in comparison.”

“Let’s just say that I don’t exactly have the best Past with guys and dating, and leave it at that for now before we ruin what’s supposed to be such a Joyous Time,” she cut in when Andy started to ask.

“Now I’m actually kinda scared to ask,” he chuckled, his voice practically reverberating from his crotch ’cuz of its depth.

“To put it lightly, I’d forgotten what sex felt like till I met Bobby,” Aerin laughed. “The last Time I indulged in it before I met him was in 2016, and beyond that–well, unfit for lil ears, but I’m sure y’all get my drift.”

Even the youngest bassist burst into raucous laughter at her vaguely-disguised admission that she hadn’t gotten laid in so long before meeting her husband that she might as well’ve not known how sex felt in the first place. She’d told him that she took quite a while to trust others–guys, especially–and had gotten tired of basically being used as a blow-up doll, but she hadn’t gone into even _that_ much detail. He hadn’t realized just how truly desperate she’d been when even they’d met, which made looking back on how she’d resisted the Silver Fox’s advances that August Night in 2020 an even more admirable feat.

Once he’d Calmed down enough to speak clearly, Duff admitted that he’d to admire her formidable Strength and Willpower even more, now that he knew that. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that she and her husband didn’t have their Romantic Nights now any more than he and his own wife did. What surprised him was how well she’d resisted when she’d no doubt been horny enough to jump the gray-haired man’s boner at the drop of a hat, considering that most girls woulda done just that under those circumstances.

Blushing from her hairline all the way down to the top of the cami she was wearing under the button-up she’d swiped from said husband, Aerin steered the conversation toward food. She relegated Zep and Zeta to their kiddie dining set, just in case they accidentally spilled anything so it’d be easier to clean up. Luckily for them, all of their older siblings–biological and otherwise–sat at the eat-in dining set to keep them company during the meal while everyone else congregated in the great room. At least they weren’t essentially Banished from the festivities till everyone was done eating, which was a good thing all around.

Following the meal and massive cleanup effort that ensued, everyone settled so they could move on to the rest of the festivities. Jake moved to start passing out presents, only to pause when the twins screeched and yanked at his shirt with cries of, _Nuuuu_ – _pickle!_ Everybody in the room except Ash’s lil family was bewildered by their meaning as said youngest bassist, his girl, and the twins’ parents cracked up at their screeching.

“They’re talking about an Old Germanic custom I started doing the same way _my_ Birth Creature introduced it to me,” Aerin explained once she’d Calmed down again.

“What custom’s _that_ supposed to be?” Rikki asked, his own kids looking equally confused.

“Basically, Ancient Germanic tribes used to hide a lone sour pickle somewhere in the house as a symbolic embodiment of any negativity waiting to infest the New Year,” she explained. “The kids’d all search the house, and whichever one found it not only ate it, but got an extra present or extra serving of the _Yule_ feast.”

“So, howdda _you_ do it, then?” Chris asked curiously.

“Well, since I don’t want a bunch of yahoos stampeding through my house–not to mention very few of us like pickles at all, let alone enough to eat ’em plain–there’s a pickle-shaped ornament hidden somewhere in the Tree,” the young woman answered, gesturing to the _Yule_ Tree in the corner.

By this point, she’d everybody’s rapt attention, which made her grin mischievously.

“Pretty much the same rules apply–although even adults’re allowed to join, as long as y’all can be mindful of Zep, Zeta, and Ember,” Aerin continued. “Whoever finds it gets special Blessings in the New Year, as well as to open the first present.”

_“Ahhhh,_ so that’s why they stopped me,” Jake chuckled, ruffling the twins’ hair as they giggled and nodded.

“Yepper, ’cuz they knew what was supposed to come first,” she laughed.

“Well, what’re we waiting for?” CC asked, grinning. “Time to loose the yahoos on this Tree, if ya ask me!”

Nodding, the young woman gestured for anyone who wanted to join to have at it, saying that she was the only one who couldn’t actually play this _game_. After all, she’d been the one to hide the pickle–and while her own husband was asleep, at that–so she already knew where it was. It wouldn’t be fair for her to join in on this part, ’cuz she’d find it in no Time, if she didn’t feign idiocy, considering that particular fact.

Careful of the trio of preschoolers at their feet, the adults who wanted to play converged on the _Yule_ Tree so they could start scouring its lighted branches. The tallest folks scoured the top branches while said kiddos all but crawled under it alongside the wrapped presentsta scour the bottom-most branches. Aerin knew what her babies’ strategy was, ’cuz they’d learned it from her the Year previous, and she couldn’t help proud, but mischievous grin as she watched. She knew damn good and well they were looking upward from the Center so there’d be less ornamentsta distract them, therefore allowing them to spot the pickle quicker and easier.

Within a few moments, Zep and Zeta let out a triumphant cry in unison, both bonking their heads on some of those lowest branches as they made to crawl out from under the Tree on its back side. Like a well-oiled machine, the lil boy held the branches open while his sister reached between them to grab the ornament they’d all been searching for so diligently. They both knew that they’d spotted it at the same Time, and that Mama’d be fair by letting them each open a present, or one meant for both of them together.

“So, _that’s_ what we were searching for,” Andy laughed as Zeta crawled through the massive pile of presents with the glittery ornament in her teeth.

“Chu lil goof!” her mother laughed as she spit it out on the floor at her feet with a _Phooey!_ “Chu’s not ’posed to nom dis one!”

_“Nuuuu_ tasted nommy!” she said emphatically, practically licking her palmsta wipe the glitter off. “Tasted _ickeh!”_

“Well, chu and Bubba Zep pick chu poison, so to speak,” Aerin told her with a grin. “Chu boff found it at teh same Time, so chu gosta share opening teh first present.”

“Ya _knew_ they were gonna be the onesta find it, didn’tcha?” Chris asked with a chuckle as everybody resumed their previous seats.

“Them, or Ember,” the young woman answered, said lil girl giggling as she crawled back into her daddy’s lap. “Then again, I Intentionally hid it low enough to give _them_ a better chance since they’re kids.”

“Rigged though it mighta been, fair enough,” Jinxx chuckled, settling back beside his own wife, Alice.

“I just wasn’t sure if they’d remember _my_ strategy from when I found it last Year since I let _Bobby_ hide it that Time,” Aerin admitted.

“Wait, ya actually crawled under the Tree like they did?” This came from Slash, who’d even joined in on this challenge.

Laughing, she corrected him in saying that she hadn’t climbed under the Tree like Zep and Zeta had, but rather had looked more toward the Center of it from the outside. Hiding it on one of the outer branches made it too easy to spot, which was why her own mother’d hidden her pickle-shaped ornament toward the Center of their _Yule_ Tree the last few Years she’d lived in North Carolina. She’d been quick to start staring toward where those branches folded out from and let her eyes lose just enough focus for its shape to stand out against the Lights woven through said branches amongst all the other ornaments.

Said twins giggled as they finally plopped down at their parents’ feet with a pair of presents that almost looked like wrapped books. If they weren’t some kinda book, they looked like they’d be really flat, but really wide boxes, almost like what one’d but clothes in to wrap. Continuing to grin as she glanced down at them, the young woman gestured for them to go ahead and open their picks.

Ripping into the wrapping paper like kittens shredding newspaper, they soon revealed what they’d chosen to open as their first present. Both preschoolers squealed happily before laying the items on the coffee table so they could clamber into their parents’ laps. They knew damn good and well one of them’d bought these particular items, and that it was most likely their mother who’d done so. Given that, they wrapped their arms around both their necks in a gleeful hug, but only kissed her cheeks as she laughed at their exuberance.

“Tank chu, _Mammina!”_ they cried in unison.

_“Molto prego,”_ Aerin chuckled, gladly kissing their cheeks in Return.

“A pair of diaries?” Andy questioned curiously.

“Not just _any_ diaries,” she corrected him. “Their own _Book of Shadows.”_

“The hell’s a _Book of Shadows?”_ his drummer asked, looking confused.

“To keep it short and sweet, it’s basically a Witch’s Journal,” the young woman explained. “But it doesn’t just contain diary entries–it can contain any Dreams they write down after waking up, entire family histories, even any spells they come up with and write down for Future use.”

“So, it’s comprised of a lil bit of everything?” The blonde bassist knew his girlfriend was Pagan, but admittedly hadn’t asked her much about it.

“Pretty much,” Aerin answered with a nod as the twins got down to grab their new lil Journals–which’d covers with designs they’d seen online and liked, based on their personal interests. “And I picked the covers based on ones I’ve let ’em look at online that they liked.”

“Now that part’s making more sense,” Rikki chuckled, Jude and Lucy giggling at his feet.

“Well, like me, Zeta’s more into Ravens and Cats than anything else,” she laughed. “But Zep’s more into Falcons and Lizards–specifically Dragons–so it makes more senseta get designs they’ll like instead of getting ’em identical ones.”

Nodding his agreement, Jake again moved to start passing out presentsta everyone, the twins actually letting him this Time as they veritably cuddled their new _Books of Shadows_. Even as he and his wife, Inna, were doing that, though, the lone party-crasher couldn’t resist asking what said kiddos’d called their mother, and what she’d responded with. It’d obviously been in a foreign language, but he’d a feeling that his first guess of Spanish was gonna be completely wrong.

Aerin laughed as she admitted that his guess woulda been wrong, although it woulda been pretty close since it was Italian and both stemmed from Latin, alongside many other languages. Zep and Zeta’d used the Italian word for _Mommy_ like they often called Bobby _Paparino_ instead of _Daddy,_ and she’d responded with a simple _You’re welcome_.

No one could deny that it was an easy way to get them into learning other languages as they took their presents, which was never a bad thing. Even if they were never completely fluent, at least they’d be able to pick out a few words or phrases here and there, and actually know what they meant. The young woman grinned deviously as she said that there were a few choice phrases she _wasn’t_ teaching them, and if she ever recanted her word on that, it wouldn’t be till they were at least sixteen. Otherwise, they’d have to figure it out on their own once they were old enough, ’cuz they definitely weren’t fit for lil ears.

“Like what _you_ want for _Yule_ this Year, huh, sweetheart?” Bobby asked with a downright devious grin.

_“Sì, il tuo cazzo,”_ she responded with an equally devious grin of her own. “Just like _you_ want _la mia fica_ before it’s all said and done.”

“Do what, now?” Andy asked as the Silver Fox cracked up. “Or do we even wanna know?”

“No, ya _don’t_ wanna know, kid,” Duff laughed. “She’s translated those phrases for me, so I know exactly what she just said.”

“Hey, _lui_ ain’t the only _cazzo_ I want this Year!” the young woman retorted as she turned that grin on him.

“Just like _la vostra fica_ ain’t the only one _I_ want this _Yuletide_ Season,” he agreed, gently squeezing Susan against his other side.

“Oh, God–I think I just figured it out, even though I don’t speak Italian!” Chris cackled.

“Now we’re _really_ curious,” Jinxx said with a chuckle of his own.

“Trust me, if I’m right, ya don’t wanna know,” he told him. “They’re getting dirty right under our noses, if I took Duff hugging his wife the right way.”

“Good thing you’re right, even if ya dunno the _exact_ translations,” Aerin snickered. “’Cuz yeah, we _were_ getting dirty–downright filthy, for having kids in the room, actually.”

“Hence why she and Duff chose Italian for those particular phrases,” her husband told them. “We’ll all talk dirty in front of the kids–just _not_ in a language they can understand.”

“That’s certainly _one_ way to get dirty, even with lil ears around,” Alice laughed, her British accent strong.

The only things the young woman’d agree to translate with Zep, Zeta, and Ember especially in the room were a handful of the words they used, Jake and Inna continuing to pass out presents. _Sì_ literally meant _yes,_ just like it did in Spanish, but a few of the others were more gender-dependent than they weren’t. _Lui_ and _lei_ meant _his_ and _her,_ while _il tuo_ and _la tua_ both meant _your_ as much as _la mia_ and _il mio_ both meant _my,_ respectively. _Il vostro_ and _la vostra_ both meant _your,_ as well, while a similar pair– _il nostro_ and _la nostra_ –actually meant _our_.

Even Aerin couldn’t deny that it got a lil confusing at Times, what with all the gender-dependent variations that meant the same thing. Others were a lot easier–such as _Strega_ and _Stregone,_ which both translated to _Witch,_ but were spelled and pronounced just differently enough to figure out which one was which. Course, translating that later pair actually helped several figure out what Bobby was saying every Time he said _la mia Musica Strega_ to her. It wasn’t that hard to figure out now that he was saying _my Music Witch_ every Time he did that, which was a bit of a pet name for her. Said Silver Fox laughed as he admitted that he called her that as much as he called her his Shadow Kitten, ’cuz both were fitting pet names for her.

With all the presents finally passed out, the guitarist and his wife finally reclaimed their previous seats, the kids more excited to dive in than anyone. All the adults laughed as they let them rip into their presents before anyone else started, most of the crowd surprised by a few of the items. Finding out that several were actually used as Altar Tools a lotta Times made them a lil wary till their mother said that she was only letting them do the same thing she did.

“I’ve an Altar upstairs in the master suite, but I don’t actually use it for spell work,” she explained, laughing as they started cleaning up that part of the messta stay ahead of it.

“Then whyddaya have it?” Chris asked curiously, balling up another wad of wrapping paper to stuff in one of the trash bags she was holding open.

“’Cuz I use it as a focal point for meditation,” Aerin explained. “But if I’ma have an Altar for even that, it’s gonna have the most basic Tools on it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, though?” Slash asked curiously.

“The Cauldron’s symbolic of the Cosmic Womb and Great Mother Goddess,” the young woman answered. “A bowl of Dirt and Water represent Earth and Water, respectively, while the Incense burner and Candles represent Air and Fire.”

“So, there’s basically a physical embodiment of all Five Elements, if one will,” Bobby added. “Kinda like these mean almost the same thing, plus Protection.”

They watched as he pulled the necklaces he wore outta the collar of his shirt, holding up one that looked like an Encircled Star.

“The Pentagram’s symbolic of the Five Elements–Spirt, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water–with Spirit being at the top in referenceta Spirit reigning over all else,” Aerin explained. “The Circle around it–which turns it into a _Pentacle,_ by the way–is symbolic of the protective Circle that a lotta Witches cast during spell work. And if one really wantsta look at it this way, it can be said to be symbolic of the _Wheel of the Year_ like the Wreath is, too.”

“Really?” the brunette drummer asked, his eyes wide with Awed Curiosity.

“Really, really, Donkey,” she answered, nodding as she laughed. “Damn near every symbol ya see at Christmas–from the Treesta the ornaments on ’em, Wreaths and even associated Colors–started out as symbols of _Yule,_ and the Wreath’s just one example.”

“Now I’m more than a lil curious, just ’cuz I’ve always been into learning about other cultures,” Jinxx admitted, his expression thoughtful.

“By _Wheel of the Year,_ I mean the eight most well-known Sabbats– _Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh,_ and _Mabon,”_ the young woman told them.

As she and Zoe hauled their full trash bags to the mud room on the other side of the kitchen for the Time being, she explained what those Sabbats were. They’d started out as agricultural dates that’d eventually morphed into celebratory Days as people became less nomadic and reliant solely on hunting and gathering. Four of them coincided with a Seasonal Change–either an Equinox or a Solstice–while the others were either Spirit Nights, or simply a Day to party, for lack of a better way to put it.

Settling so she was sitting between Bobby’s thighs again, she explained that _Yule_ celebrated the Rebirth of the God, as well as the Return of the Sun. After all, this was the Time of Year when the Goddess was said to give Birth to his next Incarnation–which he’d fathered back at either _Ostara_ or _Beltane,_ depending on Tradition. Not only that, but the Days grew longer and warmer from the point of the Winter Solstice till its polar opposite, that of the Summer Solstice–which was when _Litha_ and the Power of the Sun were celebrated. But since Pagans were rarely known to bar anyone from their celebrations–even those of other Faiths–that was why she didn’t mind pretty much anybody joining, as long as they could get along and behave.

It wasn’t lost on Andy that she was more or less merely tolerating his presence when she said that, and that she was only doing it for Ash’s sake, at that. He hadn’t forgotten the beat-down she’d given him in her back yard earlier that Year by any means, so he’d actually been surprised when she’d agreed to let him join in. But he didn’t let that get to him any more than the rest of the group did as they settled in for the adultsta start opening presents one-by-one.


	16. Sixteen

Duff enjoyed getting to sit back and watch the rest of the gathered crowed as they all unwrapped their presents from each other. He felt kinda bad that Slash wasn’t getting anything from anyone–well, today, at least–but since they hadn’t expected him to join them, they either hadn’t brought what they’d gotten him or they hadn’t gotten him anything at all. They all swore they’d make up for that at the earliest available opportunity–even Black Veil Brides and the remains of Poison–but he simply waved off their offers. Considering that he’d crashed their festivities and most of them didn’t know him very well, anywhore, he was cool with being the only one left out for now since his own friends and family’d make up for it in spades.

Being one of the last to start opening his, the blonde bassist couldn’t help a laugh at a couple of the ones from Susan. Making sure to keep them hidden from sight since they were obviously meant for his eyes only, he gave her a kiss and said they were certainly Creative, for sure. Even though everyone else gave him curious looks, he merely grinned and wagged a finger at them like a parent scolding a child. No one but him needed to know about these presents, considering their meaning–which were hints at what she was _really_ giving him.

Finally, he was down to his last present, which’d seemed like a lone box at first, but turned out to house two smaller ones. As he pulled the smaller boxes outta the bigger one, it became pretty apparent that they housed some kinda jewelry, but he wasn’t exactly sure what kind. Going by the size of them, it coulda been a pair of rings in their own boxes, or it coulda even been a pair of necklaces.

He didn’t really care either way, ’cuz they were both from Aerin, which was enough to make him smile all on its own. Still, Duff shot her a smile before glancing back down to open the first obvious jewelry box, his eyes widening in surprise at what met them. Unsure of exactly what the pendant on it meant, he pulled the necklace he was greeted with outta its housing, gingerly holding it in his palm. It appeared to be Sterling Silver at first glance, but he knew it mighta even been White Gold, considering he didn’t hate the latter Metal like his girlfriend did.

“What’s it supposed to mean?” he asked as he looked back up at her.

“It’s the Glyph for your Zodiac sign,” the young woman laughed. “Technically, so’s the other one, too.”

“Wait, what?” Duff asked, looking confused.

“Just open it, ya big, blonde lummox,” Aerin told him.

Now more than a lil confused, the blonde bassist laid the first necklace on the coffee table where everyone else could get a look while he was opening the second box.

“Wait, this one’s for Capricorn,” Susan said, surprising her with her Knowledge on the subject as he pulled it out.

“Which he technically _is_ as much as Ash,” she explained. “It depends on the dates ya go by, and therefore which Zodiac system ya use.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” Chris asked. “I thought there was only one till ya get into stuff like the Chinese Zodiac.”

“Oh, there’s all kindsa Zodiac systems out there–the one you’re familiar with, the Chinese, and the Native American ones’re but three,” the young woman answered with a laugh. “I happen to go by one that’s comprised of _thirteen_ signs instead of twelve, that thirteenth one being between Scorpio and Sagittarius.”

“Okay, even _I_ need an explanation for this,” Grace said from where she sat next to her lone biological sister.

“The easiest way to put it,” Aerin said, pausing to gather her Thoughts. “When the Catholic church took over the World, as it were, the actual calendar wasn’t the only thing they Changed. They even Changed the Zodiac–and therefore when each sign fell–so that there were only twelve instead of thirteen.”

Before she got too far ahead of herself, she back-tracked a bit by saying that there were technically thirteen Full Moons in a Year. That was why there was the occurrence of what everyone called a _Blue Moon,_ and even what was called a _Black Moon,_ which was the New Moon’s answer to a _Blue Moon_. However, things’d Changed so drastically as various calendar systems were put into place instead of just going by Nature that everyone thought there were only twelve months in a Year.

It wasn’t that the Planet _didn’t_ take three hundred and sixty-five Daysta orbit around the Sun–it was how those Days’d gotten split up to form the months of the Year. When one went strictly by Nature like a lotta Witches did, they covered the Truth of the matter as they read different materials from different sources. Due to such reading, the young woman’d found out about that thirteenth sign, _Ophiucus,_ and when the corresponding Constellations were actually backdropsta the Sun. From there, she’d figured out what the _true_ Zodiac signs of just about everyone around her–and even herself–were, which explained a lotta traits that didn’t necessarily fit what they _thought_ was their Zodiac sign being possessed by those people.

As it turned out, Ash and Duff were both technically Capricorns since the Constellation _Capricornus_ ran from January nineteenth to February fifteenth. If they went by that twelve-sign system instead, though, they were both Aquarii since the sign of Aquarius ran from January twentieth to February eighteenth under it. Most of the other signs wound up being the same way, but it just depended on when one’s birthday fell on the calendar that most used. Going by either of those systems, Poison’s CC was a Taurus due to his birthday being on May fourteenth, but _Black Veil Brides’_ CC was actually an Aries instead of a Taurus.

“Wait, really?” said brunette drummer asked, looking surprised.

“Your birthday’s on April twenty-first, right?” Aerin countered.

“Yeah, actually,” he answered, looking even more surprised than before. “I was born a lil over a Year after Ash.”

“Going by the twelve-sign Zodiac, you’re a Taurus, ’cuz that sign runs from April twentieth to May twentieth,” the young woman explained. “A cusp sign, but still a Taurus, all the same.”

“I didn’t know the exact dates, but I knew I was a Taurus already,” Chris chuckled.

“Going by that _thirteen_ -sign system, though, you’re actually an Aries,” she told him. “’Cuz under that system, Aries runs from April nineteenth to May thirteenth, Taurus from May fourteenth to June nineteenth.”

“So, _that’s_ why ya said it just depends on when a person’s birthday falls,” Jinxx mused, nodding. “All right, I’m starting to get it, even if no one else is.”

“Trust me, it took even _me_ a while to get it down, kid,” Bobby chuckled. “I lived my Life thinking I was a Scorpio when I’m really a Libra under that thirteen-sign system she’s talking about.”

“Wait, seriously?” Bret looked surprised as he looked at his gray-headed best friend.

Laughing, Aerin told them that Libra was said to run from September twenty-second to October twenty-second, but was actually a backdrop to the Sun from October thirty-first–the Night of _Samhain_ –to November twenty-second. She refused to give away her husband’s birthday without him consenting, if one didn’t already know when it was, but due to where it fell, he was another of those whose Zodiac sign Changed. Considering she hadn’t given away Duff’s birthday to anyone who didn’t know it, that was fair enough to the gathered crowd.

Getting this particular explanation, though, Enlightened him as to why she’d gotten him a necklace with both the Glyph of Capricorn _and_ Aquarius on it. She’d done the same thing when she’d bought Ash a pair of identical necklaces from the same site online ’cuz he’d gotten curious about one she wore–which Bobby also had one of.

Tugging on the bottom pendant of a necklace she’d thrown together herself, the young woman told them that she was a Libra under the twelve-sign Zodiac. However, when one went by the thirteen-sign one like she did, she was actually supposed to be a Virgo–which explained a lotta her conflicting personality traits. She tended to internalize a lotta Communication like Virgos did, unlike Geminis, who were their polar opposite on that front. Another thing was that she also tended to be pretty dualistic, to the point of even being called two-faced a lot, which was a trait carried by pretty much everyone born under one of the mutable signs.

“But I can also have that take-charge kinda attitude that’s typical of the Cardinal signs, which’d come from Libra,” Aerin explained. “And Virgo’s ruled by Mercury, the Planet of Communication in Astrology, while Libra’s ruled by Venus, the Planet of Love and Money.”

“Now, _that_ explains why Love and money can be such a big part of your Life in one way or another!” the blonde bassist laughed. “But you’re definitely a vocal lil Witch when ya wanna be, too!”

Everybody in the room cracked up at his statement, a lot–especially his and Bobby’s kids–thinking he was eluding to something dirty.

“Y’all’re the pervs that let your minds go there,” Aerin chuckled. “’Cuz saying that I’m vocal could elude to speaking my mind and being a helluva vocalist alongside the dirty meaning.”

“She’s a point,” Slash laughed. “’Cuz while I’ve only heard her sing once, _day-um_ –this girl’s a set of pipes on her like ya wouldn’t believe!”

“I’m almost tempted to goad her into proving it, but somehow, I get the feeling that’d be a bad idea,” Jake said with a grin.

“Let’s just say I can shame Andy and Bret both into never fronting their respective band again and then some when I wanna, and leave it at that,” the young woman told him, unable to help the blush that climbed up from the neckline of her cami again.

“There’s no way,” the former of that pair laughed. “I’ve never heard a woman drop down and hit some of the notes I do!”

“Kid, she puts _me_ to shame on my infamous one-liner from Poison’s cover of _Your Mama Don’t Dance,”_ her husband chuckled. “And my voice’s almost as deep as yours when I’m growling that part.”

“Now I definitely gotta hear it,” Andy chuckled, smirking at her.

“Help me out then, Bret,” she said, nodding to the blonde vocalist.

“Oh, God–putting _me_ on the spot, too?” said vocalist laughed.

“Oh, shut up and get to it, ’cuz ya know ya love being in the spotlight,” the young woman retorted with a laugh of her own.

“All right, all right,” Bret chuckled, pausing to clear his throat. _“Ya see, I pulled into a drive-in and I found a placeta park_ – _we hopped into the back seat where it’s always nice and Dark. I’m just about to move, thinkin’ to myself,_ Mmm, Jeff, this is a Breeze– _then there was a Light in my eye and a guy says_ – _”_

_“_ – _outta the car, long hair!”_ Aerin veritably growled, sounding practically identical to her husband when his former band covered the Loggins and Messina song back in ’88.

Nobody in the room could deny that she’d managed to pull off that infamous one-liner just as well as the Silver Fox, some even admitting that she mighta actually done it better than him. She still blushed furiously as she admitted that smoking for so many Years played a role in how deep a voice she had for a woman, but she wasn’t ashamed of it by any means.

Course, now Andy was curious as to just how high she could shoot up when she felt like it, which she Naturally took as a challenge. Sharing a look with the youngest bassist, she essentially held a telepathic conversation that Ended with him grinning as he rose from where he’d settled in the floor. Even Duff couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to as he scurried toward the formal living room on the front side of the house, which was where they kept all their collective instruments. He wasn’t too sure what they were about to do, but it clearly involved some pickin’ fingers–and he wasn’t disappointed in that assumption being proven right.

Returning with a guitar in one hand, a bass in the other, and a second guitar strapped to his back, Ash handed the bassta the young woman he’d claimed as his baby sister. The blonde bassist recognized it as the acoustic _Mako Glory_ he’d since been told that her husband had gotten her for her birthday the Year he suffered that rectal prolapse. Knowing how she was with any of her instruments, he knew it was a helluvan Honor to be allowed to touch one of them to even bring it to her.

“Ya ready?” he asked once he was settled and tuned.

“Count us in, bro,” Aerin answered, nodding.

Returning the nod, the youngest bassist did just that before starting to play, that second guitar now in Bobby’s more than capable hands.

_“Standin’ at the back door, she tried to make it fast… One tear hit the hardwood_ – _it fell like broken glass. She said,_ Sometimes Love slips away, andja just can’t get it back–let’s face it,” she sang, surprising everyone in the room as she did so _and_ picked out the bass riff for this song with such ease.

Andy was certainly surprised to hear that, while still pretty deep, she wasn’t hitting notes quite as deep as before.

_“For one split second, she almost turned around, but that would be like pourin’ Rain drops back into a Cloud_ – _so she took another step and said,_ I see the way out, and I’m gonna take it,” the young woman continued.

Pretty much everybody in the room except Ash and the Silver Fox were even more surprised when they realized that this was a country song, but Duff was about to get an even bigger surprise.

_“I don’t wanna spend my Life jaded, waitin’…to wake up and find…that I let all these Years go by, wasted,”_ Aerin sang, a bit of a smirk curving her lips as she hit even higher notes than before.

The blonde bassist’s eyes widened as he recognized that lyric from the Morn he’d caught her singing outside on the patio after he’d asked her to be his girlfriend a few months ago.

_“Another glass of whiskey, but it still don’t kill the pain, so he stumbles to the sink and pours it down the drain… He said,_ It’s Time to be a man, and stop livin’ for yesterday–gotta face it,” she continued, Ash actually jumping into fill a higher Harmony line than Bobby did at this point.

_“’Cuz I don’t wanna spend my Life jaded, waitin’…to wake up one Day and find…that I let all these Years go by, wasted… Oh, I don’t wanna wanna keep on a-Wishin’, missin’…the still of the Morning, the Color of the Night… I ain’t spendin’ no more Time wasted…”_

It was at that point that the youngest bassist surprised his former band mates when he ripped into a solo that–as far as they knew–only Jake could have any Hope of pulling off. Their surprise–as well as that of their respective significant others–was mostly due to the fact that he’d always claimed to be more of a rhythm guy than a lead guy. Bobby was the same way, even though he’d always claimed to be a guitarist first, bassist second, but clearly, quite a bit’d Changed in recent Years.

_“She kept drivin’ along…till the Moon and the Sun were floatin’ side-by-side…”_ Aerin continued after said solo, still picking out that bass riff. _“He looked in the mirror, and his eyes were clear for the first Time in a while… Yeah, yeeeeaaaah…”_

After holding out that last note, she gently clamped her hand down over the strings she’d just been picking at to mute her bass, her husband and best friend following her lead with the guitars in their own hands. She just wasn’t in much of a mood to actually finish out the song since it wasn’t like they were performing it for any kinda gig, which didn’t surprise the two men. In fact, Ash laughed and said that he hadn’t expecting any different as he got up to take all three instruments back to what’d become their Music room since his counterpart wasn’t willing to give up the office for that. Unless she was singing along to the studio version of whatever song was stuck in her head at any given Time, she tended to do that more often than she didn’t.

“What can I say?” the young woman laughed. “Ya know Carrie Underwood and I don’t get along most Days!”

“So, that _was_ a country song!” Chris shouted, making the preschoolers at his feet giggle at his exuberance.

“Yeah, it was mostly _definitely_ a country song, Chris,” she told him, laughing again. “It actually became mine and Ash’s song, although not quite the way a couple tendsta do that kinda thing.”

“Wait, how?” Alice asked, looking curious.

“’Cuz the first verse was pretty much how I felt when I first left home, just with familial Love instead of Romantic,” Aerin answered. “Just ask Ash later, ’cuz like with talking about my pappaw, no liquor bottle in the house’ll be safe from me, if I get into it right now.”

“Her grandfather,” the youngest bassist clarified as Bobby hugged her and Duff grabbed her hand again. “Like mine wasta me, he was like her daddy growing up, so it’s hard for her to talk about him.”

“My condolences, if he’s no longer with us,” Jinxx said, picking up on part of what was left unsaid.

“He’s not–not since 2014,” she told him, nodding her thanks for his words. “Getting back on track, though, the second verse of _Wasted_ is pretty much how Ash was living his Life when we met.”

“It was almost like we were kindred Spirits Destined to meet or something,” Ash chuckled, squeezing Aidan against his side. “Gods know I wouldn’t have met this one, if I hadn’t met her first.”

“So basically, everyone meeting wraps back around to Aerin in one way or another,” Jake mused.

“Yeah, pretty much,” the young woman agreed with a chuckle of her own. “I originally met Ash, then accidentally introduced him to the Love of his Life. He somewhat Intentionally introduced me to Bobby by getting backstage passes for the concert we met at, and then Bobby did the same with Duff four Years later.”

“From there, it was just a matter of Time before she started meeting and either befriending or hating our respective families and bands,” her husband chuckled. “Depends on the person in question whether she loves or hates them–or even has a Love-Hate relationship with them, in some cases.”

“Like mine.” None of them except his wife, Juliet, were very surprised to hear the brunette front man say that.

“Well, ya know–we didn’t exactly get off to a good start, even before we met,” Aerin told him. “You’re too much like Bret for your own good in a lotta ways, but you’re even worse than him in others.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been trying to work on that,” he admitted, his brow knitting as he frowned and turned to his wife. “Starting with this.”

Juliet’s eyes widened as he shoved a sheaf of papers into her hands, then promptly got up and walked across the room toward one of the two sets of French doors. If her reaction was anything to go by, whatever he’d just handed her wasn’t good–at least, not for her–and her reaction only got even worse. Zach, Zoe, Grace, and Mae were quick to start grabbing kiddos and running upstairs with them when she threw the sheaf of papers toward her husband and let out what could only be called a Banshee’s screech.

Grabbing said papers as she damn near dove over Duff and Susan–who grabbed her and dragged her back to be pinned–to get to the young man, Aerin’s eyes widened as she realized what she was holding. Even though it was far from any kinda _Yule_ or Christmas present, he’d just served her with divorce papers, and she clearly wasn’t happy about it for whatever reason.

It took Duff, Rikki, Ash, Chris, Bret, and Jake to get a good grip on the screeching woman so they could drag her outta the house without hurting her–or touching her inappropriately. If anyone’d ever thought Bobby’s wife seemed to be Blessed with inhuman strength when she was pissed, this one put even her to shame. Any less than all six of those guys, and she’d have no doubt gotten outta their hold and took off to try attacking her cold, aloof-looking ex-husband-to-be yet again. Hell, as it was, they could barely maintain their grip on her, and they were all pretty strong on their own.

“Well… _that_ was certainly a surprise,” the young woman said as the group Returned, the other woman left to storm off to wherever on the grounds that she was gonna get her ass kicked, if she didn’t leave.

“Sorry to do such a thing here, but I was sick of waiting,” Andy said, actually sounding a bit sheepish. “That conversation pretty much opened up the perfect door for me–”

“And like a Bull in a china shop, ya just stampeded through it,” she laughed. “Hey, can’t say as I blame ya for taking such a Golden opportunity, dude. I’d prolly do it that way myself, were I ever of a mind to divorce Bobby.”

“Gods, I hope our relationship never boils down to that,” the Silver Fox chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve it in me to go through another divorce in this Lifetime.”

“Good thing I’m perfectly happy being your cased Rose, huh?” Aerin asked. She couldn’t help a grin as she made a pun on the necklace he’d given her at their handfasting reception that she still wore except for when showering or sleeping, much like her other jewelry.

“Dare we ask?” Jake chuckled as she leaned down to give him a kiss.

“She’s talking shit about the necklace I gave her right after we handfasted,” Bobby answered. “It’s supposed to be the Rose from _Beauty and the Beast_ in its case before Belle took it out.”

Grinning, the young woman pulled said necklace outta her cleavage so it could actually be seen. “He knows I love the story–and I’m talking the _original_ Faerie tale–that movie was based on and the meaning behind it since I hate being judged by my cover, so to speak.”

“Which I’ll admit to being guilty of at first,” the brunette front man sighed. “I couldn’t figure out what woulda made Ashley wanna be friends with ya for the Life of me, but now I’m starting to get it.”

“Well, like with what drew me and Bobby to her,” Duff said. “She’s a helluva loving, caring woman–”

“To the point she almost neglects herself most Times,” the Silver Fox gently interjected.

“Yeah, seriously, considering what I saw immediately after I metcha–but that’s a completely different story for another Time,” he agreed with a laugh. “But she’s fiercely protective of who and what she loves, as ya found out the hard way, kid.”

“Like I said, I’m starting to see that,” Andy chuckled. “God knows if she didn’t already have enough on her plate–and liked me enough–I’d say I wanted my piece of the pie, so to speak.”

“No offense, but I’d let Ash have a piece of this pie quicker,” she dead-panned as she rolled her eyes.

“And we both know _that_ ain’t happening, or it woulda before Bobby ever got a chance,” the youngest bassist laughed. “Besides, I’m happy enough with the pie I’ve got.”

Aidan laughed, even as she elbowed him in the ribs hard enough to get the point across without seriously hurting him, and told him that he’d better be happy. She hadn’t planned on having kids any more than her friend had when they’d met, so he was damn lucky she hadn’t been the type to abort an innocent baby. Considering she took as much shit on his bad Days on a flip or at the office as he did when her pelvis got to acting up, it was a Wonder they’d survived it all without splitting up.

Seeing his own perfect opportunity, he took a deep breath as he looked his sweetheart in the eye, and she could tell something big was about to happen. Hell, even though who knew him the least could tell that much, and they all seemed to wait with baited breath as he prepared himself. Only moments later, Ash started one of the most beautiful and eloquent speeches any of them’d ever heard before opening the lil box now in his hand.

None of them could say they saw his proposal coming from a country mile away, but they definitely weren’t surprised when the ginger veritably tackled him. Laughing as she knocked him flat on his back and flattened herself atop him to kiss him, he took that as getting the answer he’d wanted. Working the ring outta the box without dropping it, he couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief into that kiss, Silently thanking his lucky Balefires she hadn’t decided to break his heart instead. But none of them expected the next surprise that opened the door to as the older kids finally came back downstairs with the kiddos just in Time to catch the aftermath.


	17. Seventeen

Once everyone’d Calmed down from their Joyous cheers–not to mention Aidan’d let her man back up off the floor–Aerin looked up at her husband and boyfriend with a grin on her face. She’d introduced the couple to one another more or less just months after she’d met her best friend–it’d been during one of the first Skype calls she and the ginger’d had, after all. But after some of their _behind-the-scenes_ talks, he’d told her that after some of his relationships and all the Years of being a player, he just wasn’t sure he was ever cut out for anything more than the latter.

Seeing Ash Change his mind enough to not only hold such a steady relationship for so long, but decide to take the next step was almost like a Dream come true for her. All she’d wanted for him once they’d become friends was for him to be happy, no matter who he found that Happiness with. Course, he’d wanted the same for her in Return, or he’d have tried a lot harder than just practicing his flirting on her to get her for himself.

The fact that he’d compromised at handfasting like she’d done to start with wasn’t that much of a surpriseta her or either of her men, especially Bobby. It’d allow him to take his relationship to the utmost level without actually tying himself down till he was damn good and ready to, if he ever was. But it’d also bring Aidan reassurance that he really _was_ in this for the long haul–not that she hadn’t already known that–by getting one step closer to actually marrying him.

“I’m _soooo_ happy for ya, Ashie!” Aerin squealed as she glomped him for a Bear-hug of her own.

“I’m just so fuckin’ relieved,” he laughed as he Returned the hug. “Gods, that proposal made me more nervous than waiting on her to get outta surgery when…”

“I remember how nervous ya were,” the young woman said as she stepped back once they let each other go. “Hell, ya weren’t even really nervous–ya were downright fuckin’ anxious.”

“How he’d any fingernails left by the Time they wheeled Aidan into recovery’s beyond me,” Bobby chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. “But hey, I can’t say I wasn’t that nervous either Time _I_ proposed, either.”

“Ya damn well hid your Anxiety from me pretty well the Nightcha proposed to _me,”_ his wife snickered.

“Only ’cuz the heartburn–and torturing myself for four months–was enough torture!” he laughed.

“Wait, what?” Chris asked.

“Long story short, I shouldn’t have made the linguine her mom taught her how to make, but I knew she loved it and that it’d only add to the Romantic Night I’d in mind,” the Silver Fox answered. “After that–well, let’s just say you’d have thought I was seventeen again, not fifty-seven, with the juvenile move that let to Zep and Zeta.”

Slash and the entirety of Black Veil Brides cracked up as they clearly got what he meant.

“I thought she was gonna kill me for _months_ after that, especially while the Morn sickness was kicking her ass,” he told them. “And when she went into labor–shit, I’m amazed Zach and I’ve right hands left after _that.”_

The older lead guitarist couldn’t help his Curiosity at those words, wondering just how on Earth his older son’d gotten dragged into that. Laughing, said young man recounted how he’d come downstairs for a glass of Water and found his stepmother in the living room. Knowing it was often hard for her to sleep at that point in her pregnancy, he hadn’t been too worried when he found her on the couch. But hearing her wince and groan’d made him do a double-take, and it was surprising when she’d told him that’d only been her second contraction and that she didn’t want him waking his dad yet.

“I may not know Aerin as well as Dad does in some ways, but I know how she gets on that kinda shit,” Zach chuckled. “Ya listen to her when she says she’s sure about something, or you’ll have hell to pay later.”

“Definitely a stellar young man, if ya could handle that when they weren’t even yours,” Jake told him with a chuckle of his own. “I doubt I coulda, ’cuz I’m not even sure I could handle being the support system if it _was_ my own kid.”

“Actually, I was freakin’ out like ya wouldn’t believe,” he admitted. “I couldn’t help wondering what I should do, if something seemed like it was starting to go wrong, or if I should get Dad up, even though she told me not to.”

“I think my staying as Calm as I did for being the in throes of labor kept him reined-in pretty well, though,” Aerin chuckled. “Sure, his hand was bruised all to hell by the Time Bobby got up, but said husband took even worse.”

“I still have scars from where ya dug in those claws and tried to rip chunks out with your teeth,” Bobby laughed as he pulled her down into his lap. “Nothing Mishy ever did while she was in labor with Zoe even came closeta whatcha did to me then.”

“Hey, ya got another couple romps outta it to get me jumpstarted!” the young woman reminded him as she turned to gently smack his chest.

“Yeah, and then I got the Joy of taking care of babies with a sore crotch immediately afterward,” he chuckled as he held her hand to his chest.

_“You’re_ the one who choseta do that, love, not me.” She gave him her typical smirk that clearly said she’d won their lil battle, and he knew she was right.

“Maybe so, but it still wasn’t fun till I Healed,” the Silver Fox said.

Even Duff knew how he felt on that one since he’d once been through the same thing, although even he’d admit that his musical counterpart’d it worse. He’d had only the one baby to contend with right after he’d gone through that torture himself, whereas the oldest bassist’d two at once. Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant experience, no matter how one looked at it–and even their youngest counterpart could agree with that.

Not many knew he’d actually took the same pregnancy-preventing measure, but after Aidan’s wreck, he didn’t have it in him to take any chances. It just wasn’t safe for her to carry another child, and even if it _was,_ he didn’t wanna see her need another C-section since her pelvis wouldn’t be able to widen on its own. To that End since he knew condoms and Birth Control just didn’t always work–and usually at the least opportune moments–he’d taken measuresta avoid anything _unsavory_. Ever since then, they hadn’t had any reason to worry about such a thing anymore than Bobby and Duff did with their women, and they were both glad.

With things having Calmed down almost to a lull, the blonde bassist finally decided to take his chance with something he’d been planning for about a month. Ever since he’d made his find online back around the Time he’d asked her to even be his girlfriend in September, he’d been planning on how he’d use it and when. He considered it now or never, or he might just lose his nerve altogether.

“What the–” Aerin started as he gently pulled her up from her husband’s lap.

“Just bear with me, or I might clam up and wanna kick myself later,” he chuckled.

_“Oooo…kaaaay,”_ the young woman agreed, moving to stand in front of her husband, who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“I know it might be a lil soon for this, but it just feels like the perfect moment to me,” Duff said after taking a deep breath to Calm his nerves. “I guess it’s all the Romance in the Air today, even though it’s far from being _Lupercalia.”_

She couldn’t help laughing at his choice phrasing, even though she knew he was right.

“Aerin, I can’t even Begin to put into words how happy I am that I metcha that Fateful Night,” the blonde bassist told her. “Yeah, it mighta been a belated anniversary celebration for you and Bobby–who can really help the Timing, right?–but it was a Night that Changed my Life as much as when my girls were born, just in different ways.”

“It Changed mine, too, and even more for the better than meeting my other two bassists,” Aerin said, and everyone could practically feel the Love radiating off her as she looked up at him.

“Then hopefully, this Night’ll Change it just as much–and still for the better.” He couldn’t help his own loving gaze any more than he could help his innate urge to breathe. “You’re like the Dark of Night when I need to hide as much as Susan’s my ray of Sunshine when I need to see the Light and feel the warmth on my flesh.”

The young woman smirked as that gave away what his Intent was and she decided to just humor him.

“I know we can’t take things as far since we’re both already legally married, but I can’t imagine my Life withoutcha in it anymore,” Duff continued, letting go of one of her handsta reach into his pocket before slowly sinking to one knee. “But I still gotta ask–will ya bring me the utmost Joy and give me the biggest Honor of handfasting with me?”

Looking down at him, now that he was settled on one knee, Aerin took in the ring that he held up mostly for her to see. Clearly made outta Sterling Silver–or maybe Platinum, if he was feeling even slightly extravagant–it was a thing of sheer Beauty. She couldn’t quite tell if the Metal surrounding the main Stone–which _had_ to’ve been a full carat or pretty close–was meant to look like a Star or a Flower. Either way, it didn’t really matter to her, ’cuz it looked like something she’d have picked out for herself, if he hadn’t been the one to find and buy it instead.

Still smirking like she’d been since figuring out his Intent, she nodded as she held out her right hand for him, considering he was holding her left. Duff let out a relieved laugh, even as he took the ring in the fingers of his left hand–which was actually his Dominant hand. He was just glad that the ring was a perfect fit once he gently slid it onto her right ring finger, which told him that the matching wedding band would fit, too.

Considering she was married to an old man and knew what was bound to happen, the young woman took her boyfriend’s right hand and put it on her shoulder. Keeping it pressed down, she just gave him a look that told him to just push himself up by using her as a support. This was one of the things she’d gotten used to when she was her pappaw’s live-in caregiver long before leaving North Carolina, and it was still second Nature to her now. Often letting Bobby use her as a support to get up when he’d get down in the floor to play with the kids made it something she didn’t mind doing, even immediately after a moment as Romantic as one’s partner proposing anything that involved a ring.

He let out a soft chuckle as he gave in and used her shoulder to push himself up, which he was actually more grateful for than he’d admit to. Getting old wasn’t easy by any means, and he’d known that dropping down to his knee’d hurt since he wasn’t nearly as young as he used to be. Still, he kept his mouth shut as he leaned down to kiss the young woman that was now his _fiancé,_ which made Aerin sigh happily. Feeling her in his arms, her lips pressed against his, just cemented that this was real and not a figment of his Imagination for him.

“Well, congrats–again–girl!” Ash cheered as they parted moments later.

“Thanks, bro,” she all but giggled, moving her hand to admire the ring now Gracing her right ring finger.

“Well, let us see!” Aidan squealed as she gestured to her hand.

Laughing, the young woman extended said hand to her, letting her grab her fingers so she could see it better.

“Is it supposed to be a Star, or a Flower?” Chris asked, everyone crowding around to take their turns.

“I think it’s supposed to be a Star,” Duff chuckled. “It’s a design based on the _Kingdom Hearts_ games, but I can’t quite tell which it’s supposed to be.”

“Wait, isn’t that the game that’s a lotta Disney characters in it?” the brunette drummer asked.

“It does, yeah,” Aerin answered, making sure even her babies got a good look. “And I bet I know why he picked this design.”

Everybody was all ears as they waited for her to continue.

“It kinda matches the theme set by my cased Rose necklace, and I’m also highly into Astrology,” she told them. “So either way, it fits my personality pretty well.”

“Not to mention it’s pretty meaningful,” Jinxx chuckled, releasing her fingers from where he’d been taking his turn alongside his wife.

“Eh, not quite as meaningful as my handfasting-turned-wedding set from Bobby,” Aerin snickered.

“And why’s that?” Andy asked curiously, his brow cocked.

“Like I told her the Morn after my own proposal when _she_ asked, I picked that ’cuz she’s so much more to me than the Sun my Solar System orbits around, the Moon that Lights my way, and the Stars that Guide me,” the Silver Fox answered with a chuckle of his own. “She’s the Center of my very Universe–she’s my Queen.”

Nobody could deny that he was every bit the Silver-tongued devil his wife swore he was when he said that, although they were surprised that he actually remembered the exact words he’d used Years later. He grinned as he admitted that while his memory wasn’t what it used to be, some things made a lasting impression on even himself–and that was one of those things.

The young woman wasn’t surprised the only one who didn’t wanna see the corresponding rings–if they hadn’t already seen them plenty of Times–was the brunette vocalist. He’d no doubt seen them enough when they were flying at his face during that beat-down she’d given him, and therefore kinda traumatic for him. After all, she didn’t bother taking them off before she’d started throwing those face-rearranging punches at him. She doubted she’d wanna see something she associated with that kinda negativity either, so she didn’t blame him for keeping his distance, even as his friends gathered ’round.

It wasn’t long after Duff’s proposal that Zep and Zeta started clamoring for more food, which she wasn’t surprised by since it was getting closeta their normal dinnertime. To that End, Aerin made them start taking their new presentsta their room, gladly helping them with some of the bigger and/or heavier items. Bobby gave her a quick kiss before heading into the kitchen to start warming up what he’d already made the Night before, grinning as he gently smacked her ass as a send-off.

Everybody knew it was pretty much a given that the Romantic Night between the newly-betrothed couple was far from at an End. They’d have been stupid to think that the blonde bassist wasn’t gonna continue what he’d started eventually, considering what any kinda proposal usually led to. But since there were so many people, and they weren’t gathered for no reason to Begin with, it was inevitable that their celebration’d have to wait till they could continue it in private. That was fine by both of them, and even by the Silver Fox–who’d actually encouraged them to spend tonight together when Duff’d asked for his Blessing. He could wait another Day or two for his own _Yule_ celebration with his wife since the blonde’d have to Return to Seattle sooner than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to the ring I mentioned in this chapter for anyone who's interested in a visual. I know, it kinda shows that I've a taste for the finer things in Life, but I blame my ruling Planet–which really _IS_ Venus, by the way! LOL! Dunno when I'll update again after this–it may be another couple Days, if I can get my _TS4_ game and laptop to cooperate with me, so _au revoir,_ all!
> 
> Link to _Kingdom Hearts_ Destiny _Ring_ –https://www.sapphirestudiosdesign.com/product/destiny-1-60ct-gold-inspired-bridal-set/


	18. Eighteen

“So, you’re seriously cool with sharing your wife with another guy?”

Looking up from where he’d been answering a few emails from his older brother, nieces, and nephews since they never seemed to make it to Nashville for the holidays, Bobby saw the young Black Veil Brides front man on the other side of the great room. Since he was sitting closer to the fireplace and had heard him getting a drink from the kitchen, he wasn’t too surprised to see him standing at the foot of the short staircase leading to that particular adjoining room. And if he were completely honest, he wasn’t the least bit surprised that he was even asking him such a question, no matter the Timing of it.

Chuckling softly, the Silver Fox laid his laptop on the End table next to his recliner once he’d shut it down and pushed his glasses further up his nose so he could see him clearly. He gestured toward the End of the couch where Duff’d been sitting throughout the majority of the festivities, Silently telling him that he might as well take a seat since it was currently empty.

“Son, I learned a long Time ago that the phrase _Happy wife, happy Life_ doesn’t exist for nothing,” he told him once he was sitting down.

“Part of me wantsta ask, but part of me doesn’t,” Andy admitted. “If only so I can get advice on what _not_ to do, if I ever take that kinda leap of Faith again.”

“And I don’t blame ya for feeling that way,” the Silver fox said. “I’d be curious, too, if I’d a guy old enough to be my dad who could gimme that kinda advice and didn’t mind doing it.”

His blue eyes seemed a lot Darker than they really were as he cocked a brow at him.

“My first marriage was pretty much on the rocks before it even started,” Bobby recalled. “Mishy was a cocktail waitress, I was a budding rock star–not exactly the best combo to start with, but I thought we were making it work.”

“Yikes,” the younger man said with a wince. “Course, two rockers or other celebrities getting together doesn’t seem to work out any better most of the Time. Case in point, my own marriage.”

“Key words there, _most of the Time,”_ he chuckled. “Just ’cuz it doesn’t work out in every case doesn’t mean it never works out at all.”

_“Touché,”_ Andy agreed with a chuckle of his own.

“One thing I see we’ve in common–and both Aerin and Ash’ve confirmed for me–is that we both got tats dedicated to the women we were married to the first go ’round,” the Silver Fox continued.

“No offense, but I haven’t seen any tats on you,” he laughed, trying to keep his volume down since his voice tended to echo more than it didn’t.

Bobby let out a laugh of his own as he unbuttoned his overshirt and shrugged his right arm outta its sleeve before turning to where he could see it. While he prolly wouldn’t have been able to make out every lil detail in the fairly dim lamplight, he’d at least be able to see _something_ decorating his arm. Running pretty much from shoulder to elbow along his bicep, it was pretty hard to miss without being completely blind, which was what he’d wanted when he’d gotten it.

The young front man leaned forward enough to see it better without really invading his personal Space more than he absolutely had to. Once his vision adjusted to the amount of Light around him, he could make out what almost looked like a Mermaid whose tail curled oddly at the End. It actually kinda reminded him of the Glyph of Capricorn, and he couldn’t help wondering if that was done on purpose or not. But as he scanned up toward the older man’s shoulder, Andy saw what was obviously a name arching over the top of the Mermaid’s head. He couldn’t quite read it since the room was so Dark at the moment, but he figured it musta said _Mishy,_ which he was assuming was the man’s ex-wife.

“Mishy and I’d been dating about a Year when I got this, ’cuz I waited till closer to when I proposed,” he explained as he shoved his arm back into the sleeve. “Not the only tat I’ve got, but I’m not stripping off half my clothesta show off the ones on my back, either.”

“Hey, fair enough,” the younger man chuckled. “Your body, your choiceta show them off.”

“Well, it wasn’t long after I got this tat that Mishy and I started fighting,” Bobby continued. “I thought it was ’cuz I was in the middle of the _Open Up_ tour at the Time, but it wasn’t _just_ that, as I’d later find out.”

“Ouch,” Andy winced as one eye scrunched shut.

“Zach coming along in December of 1990 was definitely a surprise for us,” the Silver Fox recalled with a chuckle of his own.

“Wait, your older son was born in 1990?” he asked, looking surprised.

“December sixteenth, so he’s a Sagittarius, if ya go by the Traditional twelve-sign Zodiac that Aerin was talking about,” Bobby answered with a nod.

“Fuckin’-A, that’s a lil trippy,” the younger man told him. “My birthday’s December _twenty-sixth,_ 1990.”

“My wife’d say something like ya were Fated to meet Zach eventually, even though I know my son well enough to know it’d stop at friends, if it went that far,” he laughed.

“Even if ya _didn’t_ know your son that well, I can safely say _I’d_ stop it from going further, if he didn’t,” Andy chuckled.

“Well, his mother and I’d been married only about five months when he was conceived,” the Silver Fox continued. “By the Time he was born, Poison’d released our third album– _Flesh and Blood_ –and we were back on the road touring for that.”

Skipping over how he’d just barely avoided missing his older son’s Birth due to Weather, he told him that after Zach was born, things just got even worse. By that point, he physically couldn’t stop drinking–every Time he tried, he’d go into what were known as delirium tremens, which damn near Ended in at least a single seizure more than once. He didn’t care what anyone said about alcohol not being addictive, ’cuz he was living proof that that was a flat-out, bald-faced lie.

The younger man winced again as Bobby continued with how his marriage’d tanked so bad, his older daughter almost wasn’t conceived. In fact, he’d been so suspicious when Mishy’d come to him with the news that he’d actually had a DNA test run on her behind her mother’s back after she was born. Part of him didn’t believe her claim that she’d been faithful and the baby girl really _was_ his, although it woulda been his own fault, considering his heavy drinking up till shortly before Zoe’s conception. What he hadn’t realized was that he’d every right to be suspicious of his ex-wife, ’cuz he’d been right all along–she’d just gotten incredibly lucky that he’d been the one to father their daughter, not the other guy she’d been sleeping with.

After Poison’s _Greatest Hits_ tour of 1999, the first featuring lead guitarist CC in nearly a decade, his marriage’d tanked even further. It wasn’t till their _Glam, Slam, Metal Jam_ tour of ’01 was Ended prematurely by his neck injury that he’d found out the Truth–and in a none-too-pleasant way. The Silver Fox’d wondered why his ex-wife hadn’t really visited him while he was stuck in that Nebraska hospital, but he’d just attributed it to not wanting to drag the kids halfway across the country.

“Lil did I know that I was gonna get home in Miami to find her in bed with someone else–and my best friend from _outside_ the band, at that,” Bobby told him.

“Fuck me, that _had_ to hurt,” the younger man said sympathetically.

“Let’s just say that I threatened to throw him out the window, even though I wasn’t even supposed to pick up a gallon of milk,” he chuckled. “’Cuz I was just hopped up on my painkillers enough not to feel shit, if I _had,_ and it woulda made going under the knife again worth it.”

“I don’t think any guy on the Planet’d feel any differently, given those circumstances,” Andy told him. “I know I wouldn’t.”

“Well, that bittersweet homecoming Ended in a divorce that left me a single dad with full custody who was also a touring musician,” the Silver Fox continued. “Trust me, don’t ever have kids, if you’re not willing to take them on tour with ya, ’cuz you’ll have to at one point or another. And trying to raise two highly-active kids in the confines of a tour bus works about as well playing bass with a broken hand.”

“I’ma assume you’ve done the latter before, too,” he mused.

“It was part of what killed the _Flesh and Blood_ tour in the Summer of ’91,” Bobby admitted with a grin. “Slammed my hand in a car door and found out it was broken after I barely made it through the next show without screaming.”

The younger man couldn’t help a laugh at the stupidity of how he’d come by such an injury, but he’d done worseta himself in the Past. He couldn’t help a sheepish grin as he recalled the Time he’d attempted to be Batman, as it were, and wound up missing out on a week of the infamous _Warped Tour_ that’d gone its final round back in 2018. With three fractured and dislocated ribs, one almost crushed into dust, bruises all up and down his side, and hopped up on his own painkillers, there was no way he coulda performed. Granted, it still took his entire band–including Ash–and his mother to keep him abed for that week so he could Heal enough to get the show on the road.

Once their laughter’d Calmed down, Andy continued listening as the Silver Fox ran through the aftermath of his divorce, which’d happened back in ’01. He realized that he and this older guy’s son wouldn’t have even been eleven when he first filed for it, which made how much older he was really hit home. This guy was definitely old enough to be his dad, give or take a few Years, and now that he thought about it, it really _was_ kinda like sitting at home with his parents and talking to them.

Bobby admitted that while he’d made a lotta mistakes with his ex-wife and their marriage, the blame wasn’t solely on him. Even said ex-wife knew that, even if she wouldn’t admit it now, more than twenty Years after they’d gotten divorced and he’d wound up with their kids. It’d be a cold Day in Hell before Mishy ever admitted that not simply talking to him instead of running into the arms–and bed–of his now-former best friend hadn’t been a smart move on her part. Even their marriage counselor’d told her that it was better to talk to him or just leave, whether she took the kids with her or not. She hadn’t listened, and that’d blown up in her face in the form of an enraged husband fresh outta surgery wanting to murder her lover slowly and painfully, even though that lover’d been his best friend and practically a brother to him at the Time.

From there, he’d gone on to raise his kids as best he could, even though he’d to take them on the road with him when his band would go on tour again. Luckily for him, most of those tours were during the Summer when they were outta school, so nothing like that’d interfere. And even when a tour _did_ run slightly into the Beginning of a school Year, any work they did through a homeschool program was transferred easily enough so they could stay caught up with their classmates. Never once did he push his kids beyond what he thought was too hard, even if it came to him throwing his own hard work with his band in their faces.

“I made no bones about having dropped out my sophomore Year in high school, and that I didn’t _ever_ wanna see them’ve to work like I did to get anywhere in Life,” Bobby told him. “If they choseta do that, despite having an education, that was on them–but I wasn’t about to let that be their only choice like it pretty much was for me.”

“Ya coulda gone back to school later in Life,” the younger man said.

“That kinda choice was for Duff, not me,” he laughed. “I wasn’t about to be the forty-something-Year-old in school with a bunch of brats barely older than my kids and getting tormented for it. Besides, I didn’t wanna be mobbed by them _and_ their parents when they figured out who I was since I knew it was only a matter of Time till that happened.”

“Fair enough, I guess,” Andy agreed.

“But after my divorce, I swore I was never getting married again,” the Silver Fox continued. “I’d dumped thirteen Years of my Life into that relationship, and for what–to wind up a _divorceé_ with two kids that damn near _nobody_ wanted more than a one-Night stand with _’cuz_ of my having kids?”

“Like I said earlier, ouch,” he said with another wince.

“Yeah, that was bad enough on my psyche and libido,” Bobby chuckled. “So, by the Time Aerin and I met–well, sure, I’d a few relationships, even though myself in Love a few Times, but I’d stayed true to that promise I made to myself about never marrying again. And I was absolutely miserable the whole Time, too.”

The younger man wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Aerin’s a girl like none other I’ve ever met,” he said, a fond smile curving his lips. “She didn’t care that I was old enough to be her daddy–actually, already old, wrinkly, and gray when we met–and she didn’t care that I’d two kids from a previous marriage.”

“Really?” Andy asked. “She didn’t think it was weird that they were her age, either?”

“She was happier about the fact that they were already grown than weirded-out by them being so closeta her own age,” the Silver Fox laughed. “Aidan wasn’t kidding this afternoon about neither of them really wanting kids when they found out they were pregnant with Ember and the twins.”

“Well, damn,” he chuckled.

“Aerin made it pretty clear to me that she considered age nothing more than a number assigned by humanity, and that she’d move on with her Life without me eventually, if I decided not to take a chance on being with her,” Bobby explained. “She could tell I wanted her in my bed, but she refused to be there just for sex–she wouldn’t admit it at the Time, but she desperately wanted the one thing she Feared the most.”

“Dare I ask what that was?” the younger man asked curiously.

“Love,” he answered simply. “She’d been hurt by so many other guys that she wanted Love so desperately, she could damn near taste it–but her Trust issues stopped her from taking a chance as much as my own did.”

Andy was starting to realize that this man and his wife were kinda like kindred Spirits in their own rights as he continued his story. They’d to overcome the fact that he’d been in the middle of a tour first and foremost, not to mention survive 2021’s Summer tour without it Destroying their relationship. When one threw in the fact that they both suffered from some nasty Trust issues, that certainly wouldn’t have made things any easier.

When Bobby got to the part about his first abdominal surgery, he made sure not to go into too much detail like he always did so he wouldn’t gross him out too much. The main thing he stressed with that part was that he’d put his wife through so much hell–between having to be taken care of like an infant, her having to monitor how much of his painkillers he took, and simply no sex–she’d every reason in the book and then some to leave him while she’d the chance. But instead of leaving him when he’d needed her most, she’d stuck by his side and almost _mother Hen’d_ him to Death till he recovered.

“She coulda took that as her chanceta take off for the Hills and never come back, but she didn’t,” the Silver Fox said. “And it made me realize a couple different things.”

“What was that, if ya don’t mind my asking?” He cocked a brow curiously.

“That I couldn’t imagine my Life without her in it anymore, and that every Day I woke up might very well be my last,” he answered. “My older sister passed back in 2011, and she was pretty young for today’s standards. Sure, I’ma lot older than she was when she died, but I’d still be dying too soon like Patty did, if I were to die now.”

“And with Zep and Zeta, ya definitely don’t wanna do _that,”_ Andy mused.

“Not even if staying alive makes people think I’m their pappaw more often than their daddy,” he agreed with a grin. “Which happens a lot more often than you’d think, by the way.”

“Well, I’m not surprised, what with just the gray hair alone,” the younger man laughed.

“But after coming to those two realizations–well, I decided it was then or never,” Bobby told him once he’d Calmed down. “Even if Aerin choseta take that ring as nothing but a promise ring, I knew I’d to at least _try_ asking her to handfast with–and later marry–me.”

“I’m guessing ya knew about that play partner shit between her and Ash by that point?” he asked.

“They made no bones about it the very Night we all met in August of 2020,” the Silver Fox answered. “Hell, I thought they were at that show as a couple till they got backstage and I managed to get security to detain them so I could talk to her more after the meet-and-greet.”

“Going by looks alone, they _do_ look like they’d make a pretty good couple,” Andy admitted.

“Well, Aerin’ll be the first to admit she’s daddy issues, and she thinks a guy even ten Years older than her just ain’t mature enough for her liking,” he explained. “She’s one of the oldest Souls I’ve ever met, and damn near has a body to match, what with her nasty joint problems.”

“She gets around like there’s nothing wrong with her, though,” the younger man said, looking confused.

“Oh, just wait till she and Duff come down tomorrow,” Bobby snickered. “I’ll lay money on her limping like a mother fucker, and not ’cuz of him putting her through the wringer tonight.”

“She’ll be all right, though, won’t she?” he asked.

The Silver Fox nodded as he said that his wife was a tough lil bitch, and that the worst she’d do was spend a Day sitting on her ass, if she was in that much pain. She wouldn’t take a dose of Percocet or anything of the like till bedtime, and only then when she’d a migraine or something so bad that nothing else’d work on it. He recalled her once telling him long before they’d ever gotten engaged that she actually didn’t like it when she was drunk or high, which was why she rarely indulged in anything that’d put her in that kinda state.

Bobby pretty much concluded his story by saying that while his wife kept him on a leash, she also set him free to fly at the same Time, so to speak. She’d give him more than enough rope to tie a noose around his neck with, if that was what he wanted–but she also gave him the choice as to whether to actually do it or not. And the way she got into peoples’ heads when she felt like it usually made them stop and think before ultimately deciding _not_ to do such a thing to themselves. Force wasn’t something she was big on except under dire circumstances, mostly ’cuz she hated when others tried to force her into something she didn’t wanna do. And she made sure that any rules that applied to her applied to himself equally and fairly, ’cuz she was just that kinda person at heart.

He chuckled as he admitted that he’d free rein to have a girlfriend of his own on the side as much as Susan’d the free rein to take another boyfriend on the side. But he’d always been a monogamous guy, so he simply chose not to take advantage of that, even though the door was open to him. If that weren’t gonna be the case, he knew his wife never woulda caved to Duff’s advances, and she’d have rained Heaven down on his head at the same Time she raised Hell under his feet, if he’d tried to do anything behind his wife’s back. She’d no qualms about hurting the guilty, if it meant not seeing the innocent get hurt–and that was just one of the many things he loved about her.

Shortly thereafter, the Silver Fox was leaving Andy to get whatever sleep he could since he was relegated to the couch. At least it was better than being forced to spend the Night in a hotel room with his ex-wife-to-be, where he was gonna pretty much be under attack the whole Time. His only other choice woulda been bunking with one of his band mates and their significant other at Ash’s house, which he hadn’t wanted to do.

Assured that the younger man was settled in for the Night, Bobby turned off Lights as he made his way to the master suite. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to a Night of waking up to humping his mattress like a randy teenager again, but it was better than being alone for the rest of his Life. He knew that he’d eventually get Aerin back to himself for a while, ’cuz while she was a free Spirit that couldn’t be tamed and caged, she never flew very far away, so to speak. That brought a smile to his face again as he finally settled in his bed, his glasses on his nightstand, and drifted into a fairly deep sleep.


	19. Nineteen

The whole Time that Bobby and Andy were talking down in the great room, Duff and Aerin were upstairs in the guest room he always moved to when he wanted alone Time with her, definitely having themselves nothin’ but a good Time. He hadn’t been able–or wanted–to hold back any longer by the Time he got her up there, so he hadn’t bothered with trying. Luckily for him, his young _fiancé_ was seemingly just as desperate as he was, although he wasn’t sure if that was ’cuz she was so in Love, or if she’d abstained the last few Days with Bobby so she’d actually have a good Time with him while he was in town.

Duff’d started out simply by dragging her against him as he kicked the guest room door shut gently enough to avoid disturbing his wife across the hall, but hard enough that it’d actually latch. With her soft, warm curves pulled flush against him, he hadn’t been able to resist starting to grind on her, even before he’d turned them around so she was pressed against the door.

Aerin hadn’t minded that in the slightest, judging by the way she sighed and mewled almost like a kitten as he started attacking her hot spots vigorously. The Sounds she made as he riled her up were like Music to his ears, and the blonde bassist was sure her husband felt the same way. Not only that, but they affected him almost the same way feeling her hand wrap around his crotch did–they sent what could only be called a Lightning bolt of pleasure straight to said crotch without her even touching him. It might be a bit juvenile to think about it quite like that, but he never really could think of a better way to put it that than–especially when they were getting down and dirty like they were now.

It hadn’t taken long for him to get her over to the bed, clothes flying in every possible Direction as he backed her toward said piece of furniture. Somehow or another, her bra’d wound up hanging from one of the blades of the ceiling fan, his boxers hanging off the mirror of the vanity table across from the foot of the bed. Neither of them realized it till much later, though, ’cuz they were simply _that_ caught up in their Romantic goings-on that they didn’t care at the Time they wound up like that.

_“OhmiGoddess,”_ the young woman panted. Sprawled out on her back next to her now- _fiancé,_ she couldn’t help the goofy grin currently splitting her face.

“Holy shit,” Duff chuckled, more than a bit dazed as he tried to catch his own breath. “That was–fuck, I’ve no words, girl.”

_“Sex magick,”_ she veritably giggled, making him push himself onto one elbow to look at her.

_“Sex magick?”_ the blonde bassist repeated as he cocked a brow. “What the hell’s that?”

“The stuff that makes Bobby _loopy-fied_ for about three Days after I hit _him_ with it,” Aerin laughed as she scooted closer to snuggle against him.

“Well, fuck me, nekkid and running,” he chuckled. “If _that’s_ what it feels like, I can’t say I’d be averseta having it happen again.”

“Can’t Control when I hit him–and now _you_ –with it very well, though,” the young woman told him. “I get into a certain headspace, and it just…happens.”

“Apparently, ya were in the perfect headspace for it tonight,” Duff told her, wrapping his arms around her.

_“Sex magick_ feeds mostly off the Energy of the act in its name, but it usually starts with an overload of Romance for me,” she admitted. “Once it starts, there’s no stopping till that magickal orgasm explodes with the physical one.”

“Exploded, it definitely did,” the blonde bassist told her with another chuckle. “Damn near felt like ya tried to kick me across the room, even though ya were holding on for all ya were worth.”

Aerin couldn’t help another laugh as she nuzzled his chest, which just made him growl softly as he shivered almost violently. She knew damn good and well he wasn’t cold, considering the heat she could still feel him radiating from where she was snuggled against him. Besides, it wasn’t really that cold in the house, so even if he hadn’t been warm from their romp, he wouldn’t have felt like Ice to the touch.

No, she knew that she’d nuzzled right next to a hot spot, considering that his nipples were just as sensitive as her husband’s, for some reason. As sensitive as he no doubt was after that romp, there was no doubt in her mind that even his hair tickling his chest woulda turned Duff on all over again. But she didn’t mind that happening in the slightest, considering that she really _had_ abstained the past week just to make her next orgasm that much better. Whether it was given to her by the Silver Fox or his blonde counterpart didn’t matter to her–she was more interested in whether it knocked her socks off or not.

The next Morn, Aerin was out on the patio as she watched the Sun rise, her babies and menfolk both still abed and sleeping deeply. She wasn’t surprised by that, ’cuz Bobby never got up early if he didn’t need to head to his restaurant for something, and she’d thoroughly worn Duff out the Night previous. A slight smile crossed her face at those Thoughts, knowing that her boys were sleeping like–well, lil boys, rather than having the tail End of a sleepless Night.

Mindful of the fact that Andy was still asleep on the couch, she made sure to keep her voice as soft as possible as she started singing what she considered hers and the Silver Fox’s song. She was just in the kinda Awed mood that the lyricsta this song eluded to, and the way it made her feel about her husband and their relationship–well, she felt the same way about the blonde bassist and theirs.

_“I’ve never been the kinda that you’d call lucky_ – _always stumblin’ around in Circles_ – _but I musta stumbled in to somethin’… Look at me_ – _am I really…alone with you?”_ she sang, still unable to help the stupid grin on her face that only grew as she looked down at her wedding set, then the new engagement ring Gracing her other ring finger.

_“I wake up feelin’ like my Life’s worth livin’_ – _can’t recall when I last felt that way… Guess it must be all this Love you’re givin’… Never knew, never knew…it could be like this…but I guess…”_

By this point, Andy’d woken up since he never slept very well in strange surroundings, so he’d caught the faintest strains of singing. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone that coulda been singing, so he almost thought he was finally losing it–till he glanced out the back door. Something told him not to open said door, so he choseta just stand there and listen, hoping she actually continued. He hadn’t believed Ash at first when he’d sworn this girl coulda won _American Idol_ or something similar, if she’d really wanted to, but he’d proof drifting to his ears that his friend hadn’t been lying right now.

_“Some hearts, they just get all the right breaks_ – _some hearts have the Stars on their side… Some hearts, they just have it so easy… Some hearts just get lucky sometimes_ – _some hearts just get lucky, lucky sometimes,”_ the young woman continued.

“Sounds like I’ma have to go startle her a bit.”

Turning when the Sound of another voice startled him, Andy saw Bobby and Duff coming into the great room, each carrying one of the twins. “Won’t she stop singing, if ya do that?”

“Maybe for a lyric or two,” the Silver Fox chuckled. “This is our song, so she won’t stop for long once I start singing, myself.”

Letting out his own chuckle, the young front man took the lil boy from his daddy, Zep grumbling since he’d apparently been comfy.

_“Now, who’d have thought someone like you could love me? You’re the last thing my heart expected,”_ Bobby sang, momentarily startling his wife as he stepped out the back door.

_“Who’d have ever thought I’d ever find somebody? Someone who_ – _someone who…makes me feel like this? Well, I guess…”_ Aerin was quick to pick up with the next lyric when she realized who it was, a grin once again splitting her face.

“Damn, they can fuckin’ harmonize together, can’t they?” the brunette front man asked, rubbing the back of the lil boy he held.

“Just wait till they get to singing a Poison song together,” Duff chuckled. “She sounds identical to Bret when she feels like it, but there’s an Energy between them that Bobby just doesn’t have with his friend.”

It wasn’t long before the couple rounded out the song, the Silver Fox leaning down the few inches that separated him and his wife. Aerin didn’t hesitate to raise up on tiptoe slightly to close what lil of a gap remained, and the other men could hear her content sigh as their lips melded together. Even the older bassist’s content hum could be heard seconds later as he wrapped his arms around her much like her new _fiancé’d_ done the Night previous.

Once Bobby’d gotten his turn and gestured toward the back door, his wife was quick to head over to greet said blonde bassist with a kiss of his own. Duff let out his own hum as she all but attacked his face without actually starting a round of tonsil-hockey, only noticing when his counterpart took his daughter from him ’cuz being a dad was second Nature to him.

Andy couldn’t help a slight tinge of jealousy as he turned to follow Bobby into the kitchen, the lil boy still snuggled against his chest. He’d never had this kinda relationship with his ex-wife-to-be, and here this woman’d that kinda relationship with not just one man, but two. Part of him wondered what he’d done wrong still, but after that talk with the Silver Fox the Night previous, he knew there was quite a bit he coulda done differently. The first thing that came to mind was simply not marrying Juliet, ’cuz he’d known all along that something wasn’t quite right about her. He might never know exactly what was so _off_ about her, but he didn’t exactly care about that–all he wanted was for her to be outta his Life permanently.

The blonde bassist’d jumped into help corral kids while their parents were working on breakfast for everybody, although he was soon distracted by his wife coming down for the Morn. He was quick to greet Susan with her own _good-Morn_ kiss, Zep and Zeta quickly ruining their sweet moment with devious giggles. Breaking the kiss he’d been giving his wife, he was quick to put an End to whatever they’d cooked up before Aerin’d to step in and start busting butts. No one could deny who these lil punks belonged to, ’cuz they were every bit as devious as their mother, and just as crazy as both parents combined.

“Is it bad to say that I don’t wanna go back to Seattle?” Duff asked as he sipped the coffee mug his wife finally handed him.

“Welcome to my World,” Bobby laughed. “Whyddaya think I gave up the good Life of the Beach practically in my back yard to move to the country Music capitol?”

“Didja live in So Cal or something?” This was asked by the youngest man in the room.

“Not for the last thirty-five Years or so,” he answered with a grin. “Moved back to my hometown of Miami not long before I married my ex-wife in ’89.”

“Damn, you giving that up is as surprising as Ash wanting to move out here from So Cal,” Andy said.

“Not really, when ya think about it,” the young woman spoke up. “Ash came back closer to home–and honestly, if it weren’t for him and Aidan, I’d have prolly gone back toward Knoxville at the first available opportunity.”

“Wait, really?” The blonde bassist and his wife both looked surprised.

“I was born and raised in Central North Carolina, but I’ve always been more of a Mountain girl versus a Beach babe,” she laughed. “Hell, half my family’s from between Knoxville and Chat-nooga.”

“Chattanooga,” Bobby translated when they looked confused. “Takes a while to get used to her accent and dialect, which makes her cut out some parts of words.”

“Or full-on slur like she’s drunk, even when she’s not,” her _fiancé_ chuckled.

“Oh, wait till ya actually see me drunk, if ya think it’s bad now,” she retorted with a grin. “’Cuz ya won’t be able to understand a word that comes outta my mouth.”

“She’s as bad as that Chasey Ray dude we can’t understand from that Ghost-hunting show,” the Silver Fox warned with a grin.

“Oh, good God!” Duff laughed, moving to help serve breakfast as they got it plated. “Are we sure that guy even speaks English?”

Conversation was equally lively as they crowded around the eat-in dining table, the older kids splitting themselves between there and the bar. It was pretty obvious that the McKagans, their patriarch especially, were determined to enjoy their remaining Time in Nashville before Returning home. After all, they’d plenty of other family they’d to make the rounds of for the holiday Season, although they weren’t celebrating nearly the same way as they had out here.

One of the topics that came up at the moment was the Beginnings of planning the newly engaged couple’s handfasting. Since she’d caved and let Bobby have his Beach handfasting, the young woman was determined to get a Mountain one this Time around. Her bigger demand was that it be warm, regardless of exactly when it happened, which meant that it could take place in either the Appalachians or the Cascades. They’d settle that part once they decided on a date since that’d determine whether she was willing to fly up to Seattle so they could have it in Duff’s neck of the Woods or not. Considering that it wasn’t really all that bad of a demand for him, he was quick to agree–and even cited that phrase of _Happy wife, happy Life_ as one of his reasons.

From there, Aerin insisted on not talking about such things so they could just enjoy their Time together, even though she was well aware that tomorrow wasn’t always guaranteed. As much as she wanted to handfast with the blonde bassist, she’d rather die with a smile on her face ’cuz she’d enjoyed her Time with him than to die stressed out from trying to plan something. Since she was the one who put the most Thought into the possibilities of what came after Life, no one was willing to disagree with her. It was better to die happy and in Love than stressed out and at each others’ throats, and that was the main thing that mattered to them.


End file.
